Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!
by WhatBoredomWills
Summary: Uzumaki Suzaku lived under the alias of Kaekano Suzaku, become a jonin at the age of 11 and an ANBU Captain at the age of 14. But why did she left Konoha and abandon Naruto? R & R Chap.8-Sai decides to all ninja teams to join them to find Suzaku.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

_I do not own Naruto. This is not my first fan fiction of Naruto and it surely is not my last! _

_I love Naruto with all my heart (hehe) and if he would die, I would have a funeral. Seriously._

_Enjoy! Reviews please! ;) I like having reviews while I'm on the brink of examinations! haha!  
_

* * *

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Prologue**

Kushina-san was a cousin of mine, a person whom I envied and someone revered by the Clan after she succeeded with Mito-san's responsibility of carrying the Kyuubi as its vessel. I rarely saw her since she was assigned in Konoha, but I trust that the union between Mito-san and the Shodai Hokage had helped her coped with being in a land where family was bridged with friendship. She was becoming a great kunoichi each day that passes and I, on the other hand, was born when she was only a Chunin. She wrote letters to my mother at the time and as I grew up, I adored Kushina-san as an idol and she became what I aimed to be.

But, things changed for me. When I was only 5, a strange fever took me and my clan off guard. Kushina-san actually sent me a funny picture so that I might _get well soon_, but eventually, the fever only got worst. It was followed by heavy, dry coughs and bloody vomits; this illness strangely continued for a year, then _two_. Soon, the whole Clan was getting worried. Not only did Kushina-san came to visit me, but even the Hokage at the time come over to personally dispatch a medical team in our village. Kushina-san held my hand and said, "You will get through this."

The next day, I had an acute seizure that was similar to having multiple muscle spasms throughout my body. The Konoha medical team diagnosed that there was possibly a virus or a brain cancer growing in me, causing all the spasms. They have also diagnosed that I might die by the time I turned 8, which was getting closer as time flies by. Kushina-san became devastated and so did everyone else, even those from Konoha. They wanted to save me so badly, but to no avail. Then, that one day, Minato-san (who was at the time Kushina-san's husband) came over with a man named Jiraiya, who took a few times to see me and came to conclusion to invite Tsunade-sama for a second opinion.

This woman, Tsunade-sama, was the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage. She was well known for her medical techniques. When she arrived in Uzushiogakure, she immediately came into my room and scanned my chakra. She made a discovery; there was a strange, immense chakra growing in my head, where first and second chakra gate were located. She assumed that this chakra was directly in the middle of my forehead. After days of studying this, she diagnosed that I was not down with any illness at all but rather, my body is being transformed due to my chakra's adaptation to the new one. I remembered when she announced it in my room filled with concerned faces, _"This child is not sick, there is not one illness for what is happening to her body._

_She is transforming, adapting to the chakra that has been released by this new gate. This gate is overflowing with chakra and not to mention, there is no such gate at the front of the head known to ninjas like us… except for those who have mysteriously acquired the Daisangan."_ The Clan was overwhelmed by her statement. She strongly believed that the chakra gate that has been forming itself in my head is called the Daisanganmon or _Third Eye_'s gate. No one knows exactly how this gate is formed in those who have infamously lived with this doujutsu. For an example, she told us about the wife of the Rikodou Sennin, who was allegedly a Daisangan user.

To ensure my safety, the leader of our Clan decided that I should be placed in a secure location and because I was still a mere child, the Third Eye's chakra had to be sealed. Kushina-san recommended that I should stay in Konoha, which soon became a unanimous decision. I was taken in by her and her husband, as all in Uzushiogakure are well aware that they were capable of taking care of me. They were a great couple; friendly, kind hearted and loving—if they were ever parents, they would be the best. Slowly, their love grew and just one day, _there was a bun in the oven_. I was excited, of course, and Kushina-san made me somewhat like a god-sister, an honor of which I would gladly take a thousand times—even if I had to repeat it.

Jiraiya-san met me again, this time, discussing about his recently made book. Minato-san read it to me as my bedtime story; as a practice, he said, before his child is born. I looked up to him like a father and due to our admiration for Jiraiya-san's hero, we decided to name my _little god-brother _with it. While this couple had their share of excitement and growing love for the child, I shared the same thing as well. At the same time, the Sandaime's wife, Biwako-san, insisted that I should observe Uchiha Mikoto-san's labor in order to be prepared for it when Kushina-san's turn came. I did not know why the Uchiha even agreed to Kushina-san's persuasion and Itachi, who was two years my junior, came to escort me on July 23rd. What happened? Let's just say that I accidentally became the first face that Sasuke saw.

And since it was months before Kushina-san's expected labor, I had been forced to spend my days at the Uchiha residence, watching Mikoto-san taking care of Sasuke. The young boy was easy to take care of, since he was pretty quiet and he would cry only when his mother would leave the house. They did not know that I was an Uzumaki, but I was told to tell them that my name was Kaekano Suzaku. Itachi then became close to me as we spent out time together babysitting Sasuke. The Uchiha became good friends and accepting that friendship, I gave them a hand-made scroll with a picture of a red, flaming bird. Deep inside, I hope that this friendship between the Uchiha and I would be continued by Naruto and Sasuke.

As you can expect, I was excited to be there during pre-birth and Minato-san affirmed that I will be Naruto's god-sister, which means that I must be strong enough to protect him. I told him that I would practice my doujutsu so diligently that all other doujutsus seemed like history. Perhaps, saying that aloud unconsciously activated my Third Eye. A few nights before the big day, I had an odd dream where a masked man took Naruto as a hostage and though Minato rescued him, the man took Kushina-san away. The seal was at its weakest point, which is where the man assumed control of the Kyuubi. Kushina-san and Minato-san died protecting Naruto. I could only be there to watch.

I woke up screaming and Minato-san came to my aid, sealing the Third Eye to its deactivated state. Frightened that the nightmare might be a future vision, I told him all about it and he gave me one of his special kunai, which will direct me to a secret location in cases of emergency. "If you feel anything bad—anything suspicious to you—just activate this kunai and we'll talk some more," he said with a smile, "But for now, go to sleep, okay?" He tugged me to sleep, but the fear… _reside_.


	2. One: Intro

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter One**

_**Intro**_

She woke up at around dawn, after being awakened by some movement. It was dark as she crept her way off the bed, carefully, so that her husband will stay asleep. Awhile she tried to find her way into their toilet, his silent blue eyes opened, watching her trying to open the door.

"Did he wake you again?"

She startled hearing his voice and silently blushed. The light by his bedside was switched on and he was already sitting up on the bed, yawning continuously.

"You didn't have to wake up, Minato."

"What are you talking about?" he laughingly replied with a sweet smile, "You're my wife, Kushina. If you're awake, I'm awake as well."

She returned his smile with another, "You're only being sweet because it's getting closer!"

"I think," he cooed; he was reaching his out for her hand and she accepted his, then he suddenly pulled her on the bedside and hugged her adorably, "I think you like it when I'm nervous because I'll be sweet!"

"You're being ridiculous!"

They started laughing and kissing each other on the cheeks, so much so that it echoed throughout their two-story loft. A silent smile covered itself under a blanket in the room across the hallway.

"Stop it!" she quietly hit him on the shoulder. Her tone changed as she whispered, "We're not the only ones in this house!"

He pouted like a child but released her willingly. She then fixed her hair, staring at the mirror happily before she gently caressed her bulging stomach with the loving thought of her child. Minato saw this and sighed deeply.

"You know, I'm starting to worry about Suzaku's seal."

Her dark grey eyes gleamed their way to him but they remained calm, not hostile or giving much reaction as he would expect from his pregnant wife.

"What do you mean? Are you underestimating my clan's fūinjutsu and vitality?"

"N-no," he panicked in reply (she giggled as she saw this), "It's just that… The Third Eye is a doujutsu that enables the user to see the future. I'm starting to worry that this dream of hers might just be—I don't know—_real_?"

Kushina turned around and stood there in worry. She rested her hands on her chest, "Actually, I'm not too sure about it as well. I had been trying to think about how we could solve the Third Eye problem but… This doujutsu is just something that hasn't been around for who knows _since when_ and for a child to have it as young as she is, I just feel obliged to help her. But at this point, there's just nothing we could do!"

"But hey, we took care of her very well. We've practice our parenthood with her and she'll become a great kid—just like Naruto! They'll play around all day in our yard and they'll come to us for some ninja bedtime stories—and we," he paused for a while. Kushina watched as he walked up to her and embraced her from behind; they faced the mirror together as their fingers intertwined, "And we'll grow old watching them grow up, _together_."

Kushina nodded her head with hints of tears at the corner of her eye. She clenched his hand and kissed him, "I'm so happy, Minato! I just can't wait for it!"

* * *

After a warm shower, she took her sweet time drying and combing her overflowing red hair. Minato showered soon afterwards, thinking that he would not waste a minute on Suzaku's Seal. Therefore, he needed to discuss with the Sandaime about it; it was the first thing on his mind that morning. Kushina knew it was a school day, which means she had to make some _bento_ for her young relative. She went out of her room contently and slowly walked down the stairs, making sure that she does not slip. She saw Suzaku's door still closed.

"Suzaku! Suzaku-chan!"

There was no answer. But, she did not have time to wonder what the child would be dreaming about so she continued making her way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. While she prepared to cook, she found a packed medicine on the sink. She did not want to think that it was what she thought it was.

"What the? Is this—! Suzaku! Where are you? Come down here! I cannot believe you took that medicine from Mikoto—_again!"_

Meanwhile, her husband came out of their room just in time. He peeked his head down the stairway, "What's wrong, honey?"

"Minato! Get Suzaku down here! I can't believe she's doing this again!"

Clueless, Minato followed his orders and knocked on his cousin-in-law's room. He peeked inside with his eyes closed, "Suzaku-chan? Are you awake?"

Since there was no answer, he opened up his blue eyes only to find the room vacant. He did not have any idea what the young girl would be doing; the bed was made, the table neat and clean, the closet door closed—nothing that aroused his suspicion at all. He shook his head and pouted.

"Where the hell did you go?" he muttered under his breath.

Minato walked down the stairs and found Kushina already waiting for him. Her hair stood up over her head like a mad lion and her eyes glowed like a panther in the dark.

"Where _is_ that girl!"

"She's not there!"

She made a blank face. "What do you mean, _she's not there_?"

"Maybe she left early."

"She won't go to the Academy at 5 or 6 am, Minato—it's not even open yet! It doesn't make sense at all! _Now_ I'm worried!"

"Oh, don't worry! You know _who_ she hangs out with!"

"What are you talking about? Who?"

Minato shrugged, thinking that his wife knew what he was hinting. As he reached out for his orange juice, he realized (with the _deadpan _expression on her face) that she had no idea about what he was talking about. He sighed and took a sip, "Itachi?"

"Itachi?" she repeated in a slur. It then struck her mind what Minato was talking about, "Oh come on, have some taste! Suzaku won't even—"

"They hang out at all the time, already have known how to take care of a kid—Sasuke, that is—and they're practically together at the Academy all the time!"

"But that doesn't mean that they—"

"No, I'm _not_ saying that they will, but the possibility is there!"

Kushina suddenly felt disgusted. Upon reflex, she took the frying pan in her hand and hit him with it, yelling on the top of her lungs, "I cannot believe you'd even think about that when they're _only kids!"_

Minato quickly recovered from her comic reaction and relieved himself to their dining room, waiting for his breakfast. She was sulking at him as she slid the eggs from the pan and perfectly placed it into his plate. He slowly began eating and watched silently as she headed back to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes. Is the Daisangan a reliable source? He felt like getting answers as quickly as possible. And where could Suzaku go anyway?

"Kushina," he called on; she came to him as soon she finished her task and sat next to him, "I'll check the Academy to see if she's around and I'm sure she'll be there! Otherwise, I'll ask Mikoto if she had seen her around."

"Do you think that—"

"No, don't worry. She's a good girl; I'm sure she only wants to get her mind off a few things. You don't have to worry about it. I'll handle this issue, okay!"

"Thanks."

He replied with a smile. In the corner of his mind, he felt curious; "Why did you ask for her anyway?"

Her ears twitched and her eyes widened. She stomped towards the kitchen and slammed a fully packed herbal preparation _"For Pregnant Women Only"_ in front of him.

"Do you know just how disgusting it is to swallow _this!"_

He laughed his heart out reading the small instructions on the packet, "No way! Is this _actually_ a prank?"

"No! It is not! It's real herbs, Minato—_real ones!"_

"Where did she get this?"

"Who _else_ is Itachi's mom? Uchiha Mikoto!"

"But," Minato fanned his hands as a gesture to slow her down, "She's your friend, honey. I'm sure she's just worried about you."

"Oh, I know that Mikoto is worried all right! She didn't even use this during her pregnancy! Her head midwife was the one who repeatedly gave this to her and because she couldn't handle it, she gave it to me!"

Hearing her explanation, he laughed even worst than before. Kushina only blushed and madly pout; she sat down on the chair once more and stared at the gift laid on the table. Suzaku was just like her; stubborn, honest, happy and an Uzumaki. She was beginning to miss her and started to worry about her disappearance again.

"Hey, I'm sure she's fine!" His hand clenched onto hers, "We'll find her, don't worry!"

She nodded her head, "Yes, I'm sure we will. But I'm worried about the seal too. Theoretically, the seal is supposed to hold off the Third Eye's chakra but, it will be weakened if the gate is releasing massive chakra and it would mean that she'll be suffering so bad—just when she was only 5! _Remember_, Minato?"

"Yeah, I still remember how she was badly weakened… But look on the bright side, we took her in and she became normal again. The Third Eye is not only a rare doujutsu but a powerful one as well—as great as the Sharingan. It has many perks for the user, giving them higher consciousness, clairvoyance and Byakugan-like perception."

She giggled meekly, "How is that any good? Kids her age would think of it as _aging prematurely_!"

Just as they began laughing, a knock on the door shocked them. Minato nodded his head and went up to the door to see who it was. A familiar long, white haired man stood smiling at the door.

"Yo, Minato!"

Minato returned the smile happily, "Yo, Jiraiya! What are you doing here?"

"Well," Jiraiya trailed off as he walked into the house and saw Kushina in the kitchen. He gave a simple wave to her and looked back at Minato, "I was expecting _someone_ to return my book."

The Sannin member then immediately realized that another red head was missing but soon, he became aware that it was a school day and just dismissed it.

"Oh, right! By the way, have you seen her—Suzaku, that is?"

"Isn't she supposed to be at the Academy?" was Jiraiya's plain reply.

Minato sighed and scratched his head, "Geez, where could that girl have gone to?"

"What? Is she missing?"

"We didn't see her this morning… She wasn't in her bed and so we thought she might went out too early!"

"Are you kidding me? You have to hurry up and find her! Do you know what will happen if she disappears?"

Minato's face changed as he turned to Kushina. His wife began fidgeting after hearing Jiraiya's frantic display of worry. He was not feeling well himself; cold sweats broke down from his forehead as he recalculated his moves. He took his _flame _coat off the hanger and put it on.

"Come with me, Jiraiya! We have to find Suzaku!"

Jiraiya nodded and followed Minato out. The men walked down the road rather hurriedly. Jiraiya looked at Minato with worry and wonder about what the young man was thinking. At the same time, Jiraiya thought about where Suzaku might go. He took a deep breath as he remembered just how naughty the young girl was. His sigh was heard by Minato.

"I _can't _believe this happening!"

Jiraiya gulped, "Well, it's only for a few hours—so we have our good chances!"

"Where could she go? I mean, Jiraiya—" Minato turned around; his blue eyes firm, "The Third Eye has been working its magic."

"What do you mean?"

"The other day," Minato paused, turning to a corner and gave a brief smile at the old lady walking by the side road, "She told me that she had a dream, which she believed to be a _future vision_."

"I'm listening…"

"There was a man—a man with an orange mask—who knew where Kushina was laboring and he came to us, took Naruto as hostage in order to gain control of the Kyuubi when the seal is at its weakest point. She was screaming, Jiraiya… The Eye is working while she's unconscious! Do you what that makes of the seal?"

"Nothing helpful!"

"Tell me about it! I panicked, I sealed it back to its deactivated state but it was tough! Talk about pregnancy!"

"Anyway, I've been researching about the Third Eye too! The Great Toad Sage told me that he has a special scroll reserved for Daisangan users. He also said that he has been expected another one since '_it will be needed most at this time_'."

Minato bit his lower lip, "_It will be needed most at this time? _Suzaku was sick during the Third Great Shinobi World War… I guess he was right. I mean—"

"Don't you want to know what's in that scroll?"

"What is it?"

"It's a shape shifting weapon called _Masamune_. It's a weapon made capable of only killing the guilty and can only be handled by a Daisangan user."

"No way! What an awesome thing to behold!" Minato stared at him in awe. Suddenly, he remembered how the young girl always fought off with the boys and sometimes even with his wife. She was like _little red Habanero_ to him. "Suzaku's going to be great kunoichi, huh?"

"Well, she will but it's not going to be easy."

"Jiraiya," Minato stopped walking. He faced his _sensei_ with modesty and lowered his head in a slight bow he said, "Will you guide her when she grows up?"

"Minato!" Jiraiya stumbled with words. The Fourth Hokage was begging for his help and he immediately nodded his head, "Well, hell yes! The same thing with Naruto!"

"No, you have to prioritize Suzaku so that she could teach Naruto! I want her to be his god-sister!"

Jiraiya still nodded his head. "Yes, I promise I'll help her out."

"Good! I have _this_ bad feeling since she saw that vision. I don't think that tomorrow's going to end the way we want it to."

* * *

Kushina made her way to the Uchiha Residence. But, she could not proceed after she saw the long-winded stairs. It was already noon and the whole village had been searched thoroughly for Suzaku. The younger students were still at the Academy, she assumed, so she sat there beneath a tree and waited for someone to come up the stairs. She took her fan and started to cool herself down.

"Ne, Naruto… Where the hell is your god-sister?"

A few minutes passed and she could hear the yelling of the students from a far, signaling that the sessions are over. She suddenly missed how Suzaku sounded like, especially since she repeated begged to join the Academy. It was just that Kushina and Minato worried that the Third Eye made do something crazy while the young girl is amongst the public. Or worst, she might fall ill again. She bit her lip as she waited with anticipation, looking for a familiar face.

"Itachi-kun!" she called out as she saw him.

Itachi quickly ran over to her and smiled, "Kushina-san! What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at home, relaxing?"

"Well, there's been a crisis—"

"Yes, I heard that Suzaku is missing!"

"I know! And I'm _really _worried! Do you have _any _idea where she might have been?"

The boy fell silent; he seemed reluctant to speak. She tried to cheer herself up so that it was _friendly_ enough to take a candy from a child.

"Look, Itachi. Suzaku is the only one left of my extended family. It's _imperative _that I know where she is so that she is safe in my arms! Please! If you know anything, please tell me!"

Itachi held out his pinky and whispered, "Promise me you won't tell her that I told you…"

"Of—" Kushina was somewhat taken aback by this but she made the pinky promise anyway. Smiling, she added, "Yup! I promise! Don't worry! I'm going to go there myself!"

"No, I'll come with you. I'll show you where she hangs out all the time…"

"How do you know all this?" Kushina asked as Itachi held out her hand to show the way.

Young Itachi gave her a smile and said, "We're best friends!"

"I see," she silently replied and followed the eager young boy.

The boy led Kushina farther toward the end of town, then to the Eastern side of the village border, where there was a huge lake with a small wooden jetty. By the time they arrive at the _secret place_, a young girl with red hair was seen sitting by the jetty; staring blankly into the lake but motionless.

"There she is," Itachi pointed.

Kushina clenched her other fist, where she had been holding Minato's special kunai, thereby activating it. She slowly came down the stairs and quietly too, so that she could surprise the girl. But before she could say a word, Suzaku released a lazy sigh.

"I knew you would come here…"

Kushina gasped in disbelief, "Oh yeah? How did you know?"

"The Seal is broken."

"What!" Kushina hurriedly let go of Itachi's hand and checked Suzaku's forehead. After she examined the broken seal, she caught sight of the child's red eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"

Suzaku immediately hugged her tight and began crying loudly.

"Suzaku! What's wrong? Don't cry! Hey, it's okay now!"

But the crying just got harder and louder.

"Suzaku! Itachi can see you cry!"

The cry slowed down but she refused to acknowledge Itachi's presence. "So what!"

"It's not nice for a young lady to cry in front of a boy!"

Her grip on Kushina only clenched, showing no signs of letting go. Minato arrived silently with Jiraiya beside him; they watched from afar as Kushina tried to calm the crying child. Kushina realized then that Suzaku had probably seen more visions than she expected and it must have frightened her so much. She embraced the young girl in her arms and slowly caressed her hair.

"It's okay! They're just _visions! _It's not reality!"

Suzaku's crying slowed down but her eyes showed disbelief; she knew more than Kushina did. She placed her head on the bulging stomach and listened intently for the bubbling sound within the placenta. Kushina narrowed her eyes with a mixture of intense happiness and sadness as she caressed the familiar long hair.

"I saw it," the young girl finally explained. "I saw it repeatedly! Naruto is safe but the Kyuubi is sealed within him. You—and Minato-san was—you and Minato-san sacrificed yourself for the village, for Naruto—"

Kushina's perplexed stare made the child stopped.

"Why? Why won't you believe me?" she started crying again and this time, Minato came down and joined his wife.

He looked at Suzaku's seal with surprise, "The Seal is broken."

"For the better," was Kushina's overwhelming reply.

"What do you mean?"

"There is a reason why the last few of us are left in this world, Minato… and there is a reason why she is chosen with the Third Eye. Perhaps, it will be able to contain itself without killing its user."

"But she will suffer intense—"

"She'll pass through it and," Kushina kissed Suzaku on her forehead, "She'll become a strong guardian for Naruto, right?"

"Kushina-san," the child slurred in awe. She nodded her head, still teary, but smiled at the conclusion.

"What did she—"

"It doesn't matter!" Kushina urged him not to ask, "Even if it's death, then there is nothing we could do to avoid it! From death, we learnt many things—"

Minato shook his head, "Did she saw us—"

"Like I said!" she practically yelled at him this time. She pushed Suzaku gently, to make her talk to Itachi while she discuss with her husband. As Suzaku was farther away, Kushina continued, "Minato, even that mask man did attempt to destroy the village, even if we die in that process, even if Naruto became an orphan—we have to have faith in that Naruto will become stronger because of it and I know… Suzaku will take good care of him, even if we're not around."

"Kushina…"

"I'm going to take this risk. This risk has been implemented onto us since we were born into this world. I'm not afraid; I'm perfectly ready for it!"

"Kushina, you're scaring Naruto!" he laughed lightly but with a tinge of sadness in his blue eyes.

She smiled and began laughing whilst holding her stomach, "Yeah, I know he might be scared of it… But I know Naruto is strong. And Minato, do me a favor…"

"What?"

"Don't let Suzaku know where I'm laboring… I don't want her to be endangered in the process as well."

He nodded. His welcoming hand called out to hers and she reached out in acceptance. The couple walked off into the sunset knowing that the next day was their last.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Wah! I cried at the ending! :'( _

_I hope you'll like this ending for this chapter_… _I don't know what else should I name it with but with just "Intro". The next few chapters will still be the previous years before Naruto becomes a true genin. _

_I really liked Kushina, so I tried my best to show her best possible qualities as a mother here! :) I really think she would be a great mom though_…

_Anyway, I'll try to make up at least another chapter! I have my AS Exam on October 11th (note: it is also the day of my death)! So that's it. _

_Oh! And please R & R! Don't just read, voice out your opinion as well! ;)_

**Updated: 29/09/10 - **_I've fixed a few stuffs and made it slightly longer than before, hehe! ;) Thanks for the reviews and any mistakes or whatsoever, don't be shy to say it and just inbox! :D__  
_


	3. Two: The last of Kushina and Minato

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Two**

_**The last of Kushina and Minato**_

Suzaku could not find herself sleeping that night. Minato and Kushina were not asleep as well; they were downstairs, discussing with the Sandaime Hokage and his wife, Biwako. With the Third Eye unsealed, she feared that closing her two eyes would only engulfed her with a terrifying vision. She turned over the blanket and sat up on the bed, looking out through her two-paneled window. While mesmerized by the full moon, she found silent tears dripping from the depths of her heart. Admitting the frustration and giving in, she hit her forehead repeatedly as she sobbed.

The door opened quickly. A worried Minato walked in immediately and hugged her in his arms, "Shh! It's okay!"

"Minato-san!" she grasped him by his coat, still sobbing.

"What's wrong now, hm?"

She shook her head, "Nothing! My eyes—I just cried, that's all!"

"Suzaku?" Kushina peeked her head into the room, finding Minato caressing the girl's hair. She sighed painfully and smiled at them, "Well, look at you! You guys are ready to be a family!"

"I… I can't lose you!" the child urged, still crying.

Kushina shook her head but she could not avoid her own tears from flowing down her cheeks. She ran to the two and joined the embrace, "Oh, Suzaku! I'm so sorry!"

The three of them had their longest embrace but it still did not seem enough to sum up everything that Naruto will miss. Before long, the three of them were crying in the same rhythm of tears. Silently, the Sandaime and his wife watched them from the door; they looked at each other and released a pessimistic sigh.

"I could never find words to describe the cruelty that the Heavens have placed upon you, Suzaku," said the Sandaime Hokage, "To be left with no family but Kushina, Minato and Naruto, now expecting to lose the two of them… Your sufferings are unbearable for an adult man, what more of a young child like you!"

Biwako agreed with her husband, "Hiruzen is right. You're a very brave and strong young girl to have to put up with all these things… This is a cruel, suffering life to live but you must continue its journey."

"I wish—" Suzaku gasped for some breathing stability and stopped her crying. Her light gray eyes met with Kushina's, "I wish I could not have seen it and not know that I could not do anything to stop it."

"Don't say that. There will be a time for its use," Kushina commented, caressing her relative's hair as she always does.

Minato nodded his head, "Yeah, you'll use it for its good reasons. Heck, don't you know? The Third Eye has sacrificial and peaceful reason of existence!"

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, lying her head on Kushina's chest while her hair is gently caressed.

"The Rikodou Sennin fell in love with one of his loyal disciple, a woman who has the Third Eye—just like you. In order to impress her, he forged a sword with the rarest of steel and strongest of chakra so much so that it could kill anything—everything in its path!"

"Really?"

"Yup," grinned Minato. His blue eyes narrowed and he softly continued, "But you see, she did not want to accept it. She sees that its purpose will only promote violence, malice and corruption. So instead, she requested for a shape shifting spear that will only kill those who are guilty and not the innocent."

"That's so cool…"

"I know. After he made the spear for her, he married her and they had two sons. More importantly, the Rikodou Sennin realized Third Eye's powers and he concludes that it's ultimate use is only for sacrifices!"

Kushina hugged Suzaku tightly as she laughed, "And when you grow up, you can have that spear!"

"Wah! Really, how?"

Minato and Kushina laughed together. Minato took out a scroll and handed it to Suzaku, "This is my _last _gift for you."

"What is it?"

"It's a frog that you could summon when you've completed your _Kuchiyose no jutsu_ once you graduate from the Academy. This frog will help you find that spear and he will help you become stronger as well."

Just as Suzaku reached out for it, Minato pulled away.

"But! You have to return my special kunai!"

Suzaku shook her head, "Why should I?"

"Because… It will be dangerous! If you're injured, how are you going to take care of Naruto?"

"But I—"

Kushina shook her head, "No buts! If you want the spear, you have to have the scroll! If you want the scroll, you have to return Minato's kunai!"

The child pouted in disbelief. She made her way towards her cupboard and slid the door open. There was a small box of pictures and underneath all of it, there was a kunai. She held the kunai but was reluctant to give it back. After some _silent _reconciliation with herself, she gave it to Minato and got the scroll in exchange, as promised. Minato kept the kunai away and patted softly on Suzaku's head.

"Be a good girl, okay! Once you've graduated, don't forget your ninja code! Always prepared for the best and expect for the worst!"

Suzaku nodded her head with a proud smile nonetheless, "Yes! I will make you proud!"

"I know you will! But more importantly, no matter how hard you train, how far you have to travel to become strong—always keep an eye on Naruto!"

"Yes! I'll take good, good, _good _care of Naruto-chan—just like how you took care of me!"

Kushina smiled, "That's my Suzaku!"

"Yup," Minato kissed Suzaku on her forehead and stood up from the bed, "Tomorrow is another day…"

He looked up to his wife and she nodded to him. She carried Suzaku and tugged her to bed, "Are you going to sleep with that scroll?"

"_Hai!_" the child cheerfully nodded.

"Okay," Kushina laughed and neatly tapped on the blanket. She kissed Suzaku on the same spot that Minato did, "Good night! Remember, take good care of Naruto, okay?"

"Yes, I will…"

"And don't forget—Never give up!"

The child nodded happily and they left her silently in her room. Suzaku let out a depressing sigh of relief and she clenched her hand on the scroll. _How am I going to be able to take care of Naruto-chan, without Kushina-san and Minato-san?_ She thought to herself as her eyes watched as the clouds covered the moon. _At this rate, I don't want to disappoint them. _She took one last look at the scroll.

"Even without the kunai," she whispered in the dark, "I still know where it is… Right, _Daisangan_?"

Her Third Eye glowed purple.

* * *

Suzaku ran her way towards the wooden where she bumped into a dark cloaked figure. She clenched hard on the kunai and attacked him with it.

"What do you think you're doing, you brat?"

He managed to pushed Suzaku away but she remained standing. The man examined her closely, recognizing the red hair and the gray eyes.

"Hm, you're an Uzumaki, aren't you?"

Suzaku nodded, "Yes! And I'm not just any Uzumaki! I'm going to be the one who brings you down—_hard!"_

"You only talk," laughed the man, pressing his wounded shoulder tighter. "You have a long way to go, you know?"

"If it takes a lifetime to kill you—the bare and selfish corruption of humanity—I will kill you for what you've done!"

"Do you know who I am? I could kill you now if I want to!"

"So could I!" Suzaku pushed up her fringe and the Third Eye stared at the man with murderous intent.

As he stared into it, he gasped in awe. "That's the Third Eye!"

"You're Uchiha Madara! I know how you've gotten this far and I'm not letting you go a step further!"

He shook his head in reply, "Fine! I won't kill you but it's because of that eye that you have there! We will meet again and we'll battle till the end!"

"I hope you're _still_ alive then," she muttered angrily.

They walked towards each other yet only letting each other walk their separate ways. Their shoulders brushed and both simply disappeared into the woods. Suzaku continued running, feeling somewhat proud of herself. _I've convinced Madara not to kill me, _she sighed but some tears just cannot be stopped. She ran with her eyes blurred with her tears. _If I was not successful, Naruto could only grow up in loneliness! Thank goodness!_

She found the wooden shack that she saw in her vision, where Kushina and Naruto was stashed by Minato when the man with an orange mask attacked them at the laboring sight. But Minato was nowhere to be seen, the blanket was stirred and it was still warm. _I'm too late! _

She concentrated her chakras, focusing or much in this sense, feeding them to the Third Eye. It revealed the current location of Minato, but it seemed already too late. _No! Kushina-san! Minato-san! I can't let you die! _

Suzaku grabbed hold of the special kunai and actually used _Hiraishin no jutsu_ under the influence of the Third Eye.

* * *

"I really wish I could be with you longer… I love you," Kushina muttered, holding off the pain from Kyuubi's nail.

Suzaku gasped in disbelief and rushed towards them, "Kushina-san! Minato-san!"

"What the—! Suzaku! How'd you get here!" Minato startled.

The glow from the Third Eye answered him.

"Have you—" Kushina stared at Suzaku in disbelief as well, "You've utilized the Third Eye… _successfully_."

"Kushina-san, you've taught me how to become a true Uzumaki and now I stand here, because of you…"

Kushina shook her head, "No! This is dangerous, Suzaku! Get out of here!"

"No! I won't go anywhere! This is the last time that I will see of you. I will see you off till the end…"

The Kyuubi saw Suzaku and took the chance to stab her but the Third Eye paralyzed its attack. Both Kushina and Minato saw this; they looked at each other at first and managed a weak smile.

"Why am I not surprise that you've become strong?" said Kushina, coughing up more blood than before. "I have to do this, Suzaku. I have to save the village in order to save Naruto."

Suzaku's light gray eyes showed her new-found maturity and assurance, "I understand, Kushina-san. I vow to protect Naruto and live the Uzumaki way!"

"I know you will," she smiled and as she turned to Minato, they nodded each other's head; "_Hakke Fuin!_"

_Goodbye, Kushina-san, Minato-san! _

_I love you always!_

_

* * *

_It was the morning of the next day. Naruto lived and so did Suzaku. Kushina and Minato's home still have the same familiar resemblance to their strength and vigor. Though that said, the home is empty and there was no longer the same sound of Kushina's voice or Minato's. Jiraiya was sitting on the couch with awe and watched as little Suzaku brought him hot tea.

"I got Minato's message," he tried to break the ice.

Suzaku silently placed a mat and then a cup onto it. But she refused to speak.

"I hear…" Jiraiya slurred, scratching his head, "So he gave you _Gamakata?_"

Suzaku nodded, sitting across him, "I'm not sure if that's his name. My _kuchiyose no justu _is still incomplete."

"No, it isn't. Gamakata told me you've summoned him, but he hasn't given you the spear yet."

"He told me that I'm not ready."

There was a long silence. Naruto cried in the background, calling out for some warm milk. Suzaku quickly stood up to get him. She came back to Jiraiya with Naruto in his arm, sound asleep again.

"I don't know when I will be ready," she explained.

Jiraiya nodded; he understood what she meant, "No one knows when they are ready. Things simply happen and success is the only way of telling."

"I want to protect Naruto so that he can grow up. I want him to become strong. In order to make sure that happens, I have to be strong myself."

"Look, don't let your guard down. You'll be a great sister to Naruto."

"Jiraiya-san," she muttered. She had been keeping her head down all this while and when she looked up, there was something dark in her eyes. "I want to avenge on Kushina-san and Minato-san's deaths."

Jiraiya lightly slapped himself with his palm, "That's the problem! You cannot use the eye for that purpose!"

"Why! The Sharingan can be used for any purpose!"

"The Sharingan was born from that eye! You have to understand, the eye has only been used for peaceful purposes! The second Daisangan user died having used it for his own reasons! Do you know what that means?"

Naruto startled from his sleep, but Suzaku quickly rocked him in her arms.

"Suzaku, Kushina and Minato did not die for their own purposes. If they were truly selfish, they would not have protected the village and lived. They died to sacrifice—that is the keyword for the eye," he paused, watching Suzaku as she kissed Naruto on the forehead, "I've promised Minato that I will guide you through all of this! And I will! So if you want to protect Naruto—if you want to find justice for Kushina and Minato's deaths, then you have to start working hard!"

She nodded her head silently, "_Ja_… First thing's first."

"I know. The Sandaime has agreed to it as well. I suggest you take that offer!"

"I'll graduate from the Academy and become an ANBU the next year!"

Jiraiya silently thought to himself that it was such an overpromise, but he remembered that Kushina have always done the same. He smiled as she cheerfully looked into his eyes. They nodded their heads and made a high-five with each other.

_Kushina-san, Minato-san_

_I'm working on that promise. Please don't look down on me!_

_

* * *

_**Author's Note:**

_Wah! I had to read the manga again for this! And I cried! :( _

_How sentimental, I know! Anyways, the next few chapters is going to be about Suzaku's development and the Uchiha Massacre!_

_We'll get to Naruto only when he's grown up! ;D There! Lolz Some spoiler for the fun of it! hehe_

_Hope you guys enjoyed this! Any errors? Please inbox me! REVIEWS too please! ;D  
_


	4. Three: Temporary Inclination Part One

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union! **

**Chapter Three **

_**Temporary Inclination (Part One) **_

An ANBU officer, with a particular cat-like mask and red string of a decorative design by which appeared like the number 9, landed perfectly in front of the dumpling _(a bocchan dango) _shop. The ANBU had his long red hair tied up in a purple ribbon and the signature tattoo was on the right arm, signified that the particular ANBU was a she. She strode into the shop, frightening the civilians inside as they could hear the vicious radio talk from her earpiece. She shoved the mask over her face and onto her head before she looked at them with her gray eyes; it was enough to shoo them away.

She shook her head at their reaction and headed straight towards the counter. She ordered her dango and sat on one of the emptied chairs.

Another ANBU landed the same way she did; this time, the tattoo showed it was a he. He entered hurriedly, "Are you not taking this seriously?"

She watched happily, like a child, as the waitress placed the multi-colored dango and hot cup of tea in front of her. Then, silently, she drank her tea and gestured the other ANBU to sit.

"I need my occasional dango," was her simple explanation.

The man sighed and shoved his mask onto his head as well—revealing Itachi. He ordered the same thing and sat across the table with her. His dark eyes were staring at her in worry.

"You worry too much," she commented as she began eating her first dango.

He creased his eyebrows, "Am I not supposed to be?"

"I'm the _buntaicho_ here."

"And are you monitoring the mission?"

"I have the radio, Itachi. I know the progress!"

In the mean time, Itachi's dango and tea arrived. He silently disagreed with her misdemeanor but began eating his sweet dumplings anyway. They shared the same order since they both loved _bocchan dango. _Awhile they sat there at peace, the radio began to sound a conversation:

"[Static] _Buntaicho_! We've assumed the _senpuku shoutora (the hiding little tiger)_ position. [Static]"

She pressed the button her neck while munching her dango lovingly, "Are all the members ready for the _kijuuki no utsu (the crane's attack)?_"

"[Static] We're ready for the _kijuuki no utsu_. Waiting for your green light! [Static]"

Itachi looked up to her and nodded his head. She agreed to him and pressed the button once more.

"Commence the _kijuuki no utsu_," she muttered.

"[Static] Commencing _kijuuki no utsu!_ [Static]"

She smiled and sipped her tea, "Well, how's that for monitoring?"

Itachi simply shook his head in response. He finished his dango and was ready to leave. But she still had two dangos to eat and it forced him to remain still. Meanwhile, the radio made a few sounds of people grunting and yelling. She twitched hearing it and took off her earpiece. Seeing this, Itachi pressed his temple.

"This is _exactly_ why the Elders are looking down on you."

She laughed softly, "What? They are? Geez! Those people never learn! Under—"

"Underestimation is the root of all defeat," Itachi interrupted.

She nodded, "Exactly."

As she finished one of the last dango, the awkward silence dawned upon them. He maintained eye contact, watching her as she finished her tea and ordered for some more. She caught him staring in the corner of eye and smiled. As she faced him, she took a bite from the last dango.

"You're annoying," she commented, munching her dango. "You've been with us for only a year now, at the ripe age of 12. I've been with the ANBU for almost 5 years and I feel neglected."

"What do you mean?"

"How is Sasuke coping with this?"

Itachi was silenced. He refused to answer her question but she jerked her foot and literally _kicked_ him underneath the table. He scuffled in response.

"Answer me."

He reluctantly replied, "Not well, I suppose. I used to have time to train with him. But since I had been with the ANBU squad, he's becoming bored."

"Now, that boy—needs an occasional dango more than I do!"

"You've only cared about Sasuke's development. What about your own little brother?"

"Hey!" she glared angrily. This time, her tea arrived but she ignored it and waited for the waitress to leave before she went on, "I've_ monitored_ him as well!"

"I know. I've followed you."

She was startled but she did not blush at his statement. But rather, she stared at him suspiciously and playfully, like a cunning fox.

"What's this?" she laughed out loud. "You've got a girlfriend, Itachi and what will she say about us?"

"You're my good friend and I care about you. She needs to know nothing of this."

Again, she was startled by his reply. This time though, she blushed slightly. She secretly tried to find some cruel comebacks to attack him but he was right. She lowered her head and smiled at him.

"Well, good friends take care of each other, huh?"

"More importantly," he leaned onto the table and quietly whispered in sarcasm, "Families look after each other, _constantly_ and _closely_."

His words echoed clearly in her ears and she hated him for saying it to her. She pressed her temple whilst exhaling deeply. She took a few sips from her tea, trying to cool off but Itachi's stare was tough to beat. His eyes; they were practically laughing at her.

"I—I've always—" she struggled for her words and sheepishly blushed. But Itachi had no response and waited as she continued her explanation, "Every night, I make sure that he gets his allowance and some food—sometimes, it makes me wonder if he's ever curious about it. You know, maybe he thinks it was from the Sandaime."

"Why won't you come up and _just _tell him?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm—I can't face him, Itachi! I'm afraid of what he'll think of me!"

"What's this?" he chuckled, "You could face all evil in this world but you just couldn't face Naruto?"

She shook her head nervously and her blush intensified, "I mean, this is Naruto—my god-brother we're talking about! I've been there for him till he turned 4 and simply left him alone one day… I'm afraid!"

"These things take time, Suzaku," he explained. "I heard that the Academy invited you to come over for some interview."

She laughed at the thought, "I know—what a weird thing! A man named Iruka called me up and told me that the Hokage has personally selected me to be a role model—"

"You? A role model?"

She shot another glare at him, "What? Am I not friendly enough for kids?"

"[Static] _Buntaicho_, we've got the Daimyou. [Static]"

Suzaku placed her earpiece back where it belonged and pressed the same button again, "Copy that! Gather the team! I'll meet you at the rendezvous!"

"[Static] Understood. [Static]"

Itachi drank up the last of his tea, "I guess during the whole Role Model thing you could have a close up with Naruto."

"It's a Calligraphy Class! How is _he_ supposed to be interested in that?"

"I'm sure there's some way to it," he chuckled again, leaving his money for his order. As she did the same, he stood up putting on his mask and waited, "Maybe you could give him a scroll of some inspirational quote. We know you have plenty of them… _In abundance_."

She made an irritated laugh and put on her mask as well, "In abundance! Hmph! Look who's talking!"

After they gestured at the owner to clear the table, the two disappeared instantly into thin air.

* * *

It had been about 6 years since Suzaku graduated from the Academy. She felt nervous for the first time in her teenage life; she even had a dilemma picking up which clothes to wear when usually she was not bothered by it. After deciding to wear a kimono top and plain shorts, she sighed and got out of the house as quickly as possible. She did not know how she will control herself once she enters the class but hoped that she was friendly enough for them to look up to her.

She was at the door when a man was about to knock. She blankly stared at him while he nervously struggled for words.

"You must be Iruka, from the Academy?" she interrupted his disordered speech.

He startled but and laughed nervously, "Yes! That's right!"

"I was just about to leave."

"Oh, is that right? I'm sorry but you've missed the class!"

Her eyes were emotionless. "Wha—? How could I've missed the class?"

"That's what I came here to find out about!" Iruka laughed nervously again.

Suzaku made a face palm, "Oh god! I must've missed the time while I was busy digging out my closet! I'm truly sorry! It was my mistake!"

"Well, that's okay! We have another period of Calligraphy afterwards!"

"I see," she replied and locked the door. She followed as Iruka as he led her towards the Academy. He repeatedly looked over his shoulder to stare at her, before being caught off guard. "Is there something you want to ask?"

"Well, I—I was just wondering about what you've done in the past that made the Hokage looked at you with special privilege."

"Special privilege? Well, I was orphaned when I was young and left with no families at all! He, of all people, felt that I should be taken care of by Konoha. Eventually, the Fourth Hokage took me in under his advice and… Now I'm a successful ANBU _buntaicho_!"

He stared at her in disbelief, "You mean to say that you have been an ANBU all this while? How old are you?"

"Almost 16."

"Wah! You must be talented! I'm _still_ a Chunin! That must be why the Sandaime has been talking about you so highly!"

Suzaku nodded her head sheepishly, "A ninja should always speak modestly about one another so to avoid boastfulness. Ego is one of our greatest enemy; sometimes greater than those who physically fight against us!"

"Well, all I can tell you is to spare those teachings for the children! Many have petitioned to remove the Calligraphy Class from our academic—"

"What? After years of being included in the academic subject? I'm against that!"

"I'm glad that you've got your own opinion about it but many, including The Elders, have especially noticed that the teaching is no longer necessary!"

"That's when they're wrong! Despite the fact that we could always translate older Calligraphies and make it easier for youths to read them, the older texts must be maintained in its original state! That is our tradition—not our flexibility!"

Iruka smiled seeing her enthusiasm, "The Sandaime told me that you could give some new insights to this issue! You've clearly enlightened me on it!"

He paused as the sight of the Academy came into full view. He led her into the teaching room where she found Gai and Kurenai. Suzaku knew them back when she was in the Academy (they were not students at the time but during their low rank missions, she got to know them) and she was one of the unforgettable student that they had ever met. After a brief chat with the teachers, Iruka led her into the hallway and told her to wait outside while he explained her situation to the children. Suzaku stood still by the door and constantly did her breathing exercise. She knew how Naruto resembled his father physically and his mother in personality; it was like meeting Kushina and Minato again but for the first time in years.

"What? That person missed our class the first time so why should we listen!"

Suzaku turned pale and flinched in horror. How horrible and unforgiving children were at the time!

"Please, class! She had something to do this morning which was inevitable!" Iruka tried to calm them down.

"A she! Oh ho, that's just great! A _woman_!"

"Oh, could it be? Is it Kaekano-san?" an excited Sasuke stood up from his chair.

Iruka nodded his head, "Yes, Sasuke-kun, that's right!"

"And someone unheard of! What's so interesting about her that we should listen to?"

"Hey! Kaekano-san is a respected kunoichi! You don't know that yet because you're too low to reach her level!"

A loud thud; the class door was slide opened. A red haired woman was seen standing with an angry face. Suzaku walked her way into the middle of the class and stared at them. The girls gasped in awe while the boys blushed; Sasuke looked intensely overjoyed.

"Thank you for that, Sasuke. Iruka-san, I can handle this; you may leave."

Iruka nodded with a nervous gulp and left them alone. The class was silenced for the first time in Iruka's teaching years. Suzaku was busy looking for her little god-brother when she noticed a blonde boy sleeping. Although she pitied him, she was immensely irritated. Back in her Academy years, she was very diligent with the thought of becoming a ninja and look what her god-brother was doing—sleeping! She took out a fan out off her sleeve pocket and smacked it on his table. He woke up immediately.

"How could you have time to sleep soundly!"

The whole class began laughing and started mocking him.

Naruto rubbed his eyes, "What the hell do you think you're doing, woman!"

"Take that back or I'll break your neck with this fan!"

Naruto wanted to respond but his eyes were caught off guard when he laid them onto her figure. In that instant, he was silenced; he felt that somehow, he must have met her from somewhere before.

"My name is Kaekano Suzaku," she calmly introduced herself with a slight blush. "I'm 16 this year and I've done 15 ANBU missions as _Buntaicho_ so far, 30 between A and S rank mission, 15 B rank missions and 25 C rank missions. I was immediately promoted from a Genin to Chunin after I've passed the exam."

An awed looking Sakura raised her hand and Suzaku quickly turned to her, "How old were you when you've achieved all that?"

"I was a full-fledge ninja by the age of 8, a Chunin the same year, I was a Jonin at 11, had been an ANBU member for 2 years afterwards and was promoted an ANBU captain at the age of 15. But my record was quickly broken by a friend of mine, Uchiha Itachi."

They cooed a long _ohhh_ in unison, including Sasuke. While they were busy admiring her, a group of girls who seemed to hate the idea of having her as a role model began muttering to each other. They did not know that Suzaku had silently eyed them from the corner of her eyes.

"You girls over there!"

They startled to see her pointing her fingers at them.

"I know you want to say something! Why don't you share it with the whole class?"

One of them sheepishly shook her head, "N-no, it's nothing."

"No manners," Sasuke silently scoffed. His admirers moaned in admiration while Suzaku let out a sigh seeing so.

"Are you really interested in becoming a full-fledged ninja? The way I look at it, that mouth of yours is going to be one weak point!"

The annoying girls cringed to hear her lectures. The other kids just laughed at them.

"I'm sure you've heard that the Calligraphy class might be removed from your academics as many people, including the Elders, feel that it is no longer necessary," she saw nodding heads as she continued, "To tell you the truth, I am very much against it."

"Ehhh!" they yelped in shock. "What do you mean?"

"When you grow up, you'll understand more of what I mean. But I will tell you in the easiest way I could muster."

All of them intently began to listen, expecting that an advice from an ANBU _buntaicho_ must prove to be useful to them in some way when they grow up.

"Calligraphy is an art. A long time ago, the jutsus that we learn today were originally written as part of what was called the shinobi sect, known as _Ninshu._ It began as a very atypical, tough-to-be written calligraphy and slowly through the years, they were modified to be easily read by those who which to follow this wise sect.

"It's true though, I must say. When I first learned Calligraphy, I thought that it just another useless subject that I have to go through in order to graduate."

As she laughed at herself, the children laughed along in little, adorable giggles.

"But, you see, these sorts of things are something of the somewhat ambiguous necessity. It's like, you'd better know of it when you don't need it _rather than_ not know about it when you need it. For example, when you'd infiltrate a landmark castle filled with secret coding in extreme calligraphy or even when you'd have to impress a Daimyou with your extra knowledge on it, you will have to know Calligraphy," she further explained and found the children nodding their heads vigorously.

Again, Sakura raised her hand, "Miss Suzaku, are you skilled in Calligraphy?"

"Well," she began, "I actually had an extra study on traditionalism; studying about ancient legends and astronomy, so I had to learn Calligraphy because the old texts are all written in them. I've heard a lot of people liking my calligraphy—the Sandaime is one of my avid admirers for it."

The Children nodded their heads once more with another giggle. Another hand was raised and this time, it was Sasuke.

"Well, you're all eager, Sasuke! What's your question?"

"Your name," the boy began, "It's from the legendary _minami no akai tori_ (the red bird of the south), isn't it?"

Suzaku nodded, "Yes. The Red Bird is one of the guardians for directions. Suzaku is meant to guard the South and it represents the summer season. It's depicted as a flaming red bird!"

"And what's your element?"

"Well," Suzaku slowed down and began thinking. "I'm perfectly fine with fire release, but I'm a natural for a wind release."

"But," Sakura paused, looking at Sasuke in the corner of eye and shyly continued, "Doesn't the wind fan the fire?"

"Exactly! I thought of it the same way actually!"

The children started laughing again. Awhile Suzaku felt proud that she could convince them to listen to her, she began to worry about what she should do for the rest of the class. Then, she took out a scroll and played a game with the children; a guessing game. She will randomly write words on the scrolls but asks the children to guess its meaning. Frequently, Sasuke and Sakura had correctly guessed the kanji. Whereas her _little _god-brother, Naruto, looked blur and disappointed most of the time but she forgave him for his lack of knowledge. Then,

"Okay! So, we're going to end this game—I'm going to choose someone and they will have to guess the meaning or else—the whole class has to clean up the playground for a week!"

"No!" they responded, hoping that she will choose someone knowledgeable on Calligraphy.

She looked into their faces and her finger pointed at them, roaming ominously at them. Their nervous gulped made her smirked and ended up with her little god-brother, "_You!_"

"What! No! Not him!"

Naruto shook his head, "No, I refuse! Everyone doesn't want me—"

"This is not about everyone, you know! This is about _you!_"

Everyone began mocking and insulting him; "He's a useless guy!" or even, "I don't even know how he got into the Academy!" or, "He failed the classes all the time!"

Suzaku narrowed her eyes sadly but she refused to reselect another person.

"It's okay," she smiled, "You could always try, Naruto!"

Ignoring the other children, she pulled out the brush from the ink pot and began shaping the _kanji_. Naruto looked extremely worried as she slowly turned the scroll towards him. He gulped and examined the kanji.

"I'll give you a clue—it's why you're here, Naruto!"

Everyone knew what the kanji meant but they knew Naruto could not have recognized it. The blonde boy took his time thinking, knowing that he has seen the kanji somewhere before. The class was beginning to give up on but Suzaku silenced them. Suddenly, he blinked and pointed at it in shock.

"It's _shinobi_, isn't it?"

Everyone gasped in awe, "He knows!"

"I knew you'd figure that out!" she laughed and as she took out a different scroll, she told him; "This is my special scroll. It's made of satin and I want to give it to you, Naruto! Because despite your lack of knowledge, you knew the basics. Some people forget that as they're older, so don't lose this!"

She began to unveil the scroll and wrote a quotation while it was in the air; the children gawked even more. When it finished, she took the ribbon from her hair, letting it down, and then tied the scroll with the ribbon. She then gave it to Naruto with a huge grin, "You better make use of this when you grow up! Otherwise, I'm better off giving it to another person!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_My parents are forcing me to grocery shop! I will further edit this! hehe_

**Updated (4/10/2010):**

_I've edited it, at least I think so! hehe I'm on the verge of studying... My exam is next week Monday! God help our souls! :D_**  
**


	5. Four: Temporary Inclination Part Two

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Four**

_**Temporary Inclination (Part Two)**_

The children stared at Naruto in disbelief and jealousy. They did not think that it was a fair thing to do, especially since Naruto definitely could not understand what was written in the scroll. Sasuke seemed more jealous than dumbfounded; he constantly eyed on the scroll because it was similar to like the one he had at home. Naruto, on the hand, was overwhelmed of the gift and ignorant of the other children's opinion on him. He peeked into the scroll but Suzaku hit his hand with her fan.

"You're going to read it after I've left here!"

Naruto simply pouted but he was happy. The children remain thinking that it was unfair. But then, Sasuke raised his hand eagerly once more,

"Why did you give it to him? What do you see in that boy?"

Suzaku was startled that young Sasuke could have asked the question. She shook her head and laughed at it.

"I am a ninja; I've no family and my goal is to become stronger than who I am today. I've neglected the most important family and friend that I have in mind in order to achieve such thing; that is Konoha.

Even though some of us are orphans, once we vowed to live the ninja code, we are all a family to each other. Sure, there are more of us who takes pride in the name of their Clan, but a ninja is still a family to one another. The moment you've become a full-fledged ninja, do not forget this."

Naruto looked up to her in admiration while the other children lowered their head, digesting her deep words and making sure that they embedded it in their minds somehow. Unaware of his presence, Iruka clapped his hand and walked in smiling.

"Well," he commented, "I guess you guys liked her presence after all!"

"Yeah!" the children cheered all together.

"That's good! But that's it for now, Suzaku-san has been called for! So, say your goodbyes!"

Suzaku laughed shyly as all of them began crowding around her and almost simultaneously asking for her signatures. As she took one of the empty notebooks to sign her name on it, she said to them,

"I had a great time hanging out with you guys! I hope it's all the same to you!"

They nodded theirs heads and smiled, "We did too!"

"Ne, Suzaku-san, are you going off to an important and dangerous mission?" a worried Sakura asked, clenching on the paper with Suzaku's signature.

She nodded her head, "A ninja's mission will always be important. It will always be dangerous for us who carried them out. But then again, it is to protect our family and we'll do anything to save our family, right?"

Again, they nodded their heads. She laughed as she saw them that way but in the corner of her eyes, she saw a dreamy Naruto watching her silently. She felt proud of herself.

"Okay, kids! That's all now! Kurenai-sensei is going to take over, okay!"

As he said so, Kurenai walked in and quickly smiled at Suzaku. The children returned to their seats and watched as the two ladies spoke of something that they know nothing about. Then, Kurenai and Suzaku shook hands with an exchange of smiles again before the young buntaicho left.

"The children love you!" Iruka praised as he closed the door behind him, walking alongside Suzaku.

"Nah, I'm just good around them_—_that's all!"

"Well, the class actually took half of Kurenai's time!"

"It did? I'm sorry for that!"

"It's all right, the Sandaime thinks that it was good that the children are much aware of Calligraphy's importance!"

Suzaku nodded happily, "I'm glad that now the petition has changed a little."

"The session will end soon—would you like to see the seniors?"

"Seniors? The older students?"

"Yes," he pointed out the window, "Oh, look! There they are! That's Gai-sensei's new class—they're all seniors too, by the way! You should check them out as well! Or if you don't have much time, you could just go home."

"Thanks. I'll know my way out." Suzaku waved goodbye to Iruka before walking out to Gai in the playground. She came him talking about _eternal youth_ and laughed, "Still spouting that story, Gai-sensei?"

"Oh! Suzaku!" he cheered and made the class greet her.

"Hello," she smiled. "This is a different class than earlier…"

"Yes, these children are just a year older. That's Lee, by the way, he's my new protégé!"

She nodded her head while her sweat dropped seeing their similiarities , "I see."

The class went on rather slowly, with Suzaku repeatedly turning around to make sure that the Naruto's class would be out for the day. She had decided to take Itachi's advice and try to be there for Naruto, even for a while. As the seniors were dispersed to train on their own, the juniors ran out happily and walked their way home. Suzaku saw this opportunity to leave Gai on his own and tried to find Naruto in the crowd.

* * *

It was already dark. He had been spending his time with some newfound friends (Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba and Shino) and finally headed home. Naruto walked with his head down; hands still clenched happily on the scroll given to him as he correctly guessed the kanji earlier. He thanked himself for playing around and pulling pranks in places where the kanji was seen on the walls. He walked up to his apartment and slid the key into the knob when a sniff of ramen and a dark, long shadow came over him. He flinched, goose bumps all over his skin and a gulp of fear; he turned around slowly, only to find a smiling Suzaku.

"Yo, kiddo!"

Naruto sighed in relief, "_Mattaku! _You scared me!"

"Oh, did I? I'm sorry about that!"

"It's alright; I guess it's normal at this time…" he genuinely smiled.

"I saw you walking around so I figured if you wanted to share a ramen—but you didn't answer me when I called for you at the ramen stall!"

Naruto's blue eyes widened in joy, "Sure! I'd love some!"

They entered his home but Naruto told her to stay still as he arranged his mess, hiding them from being visible to his guest. While he was busy doing his own thing, she ignored his instruction and headed to kitchen; cleaning his dishes and wipe off the tables from tiny leftovers.

"Eh!" Naruto exclaimed, "You didn't have to like—wash my dishes!"

"That's okay! I feel obliged," she smiled back.

His eyebrows creased worriedly, "I can't believe this happening! An ANBU captain is washing my dishes!"

"Oh come on, I did this thing everyday back when I was a Genin… It comes with the job, Naruto—don't worry about it!"

Afterwards, she switched the packed ramen into a bowl and began eating with him on the small dining table. They had some fun; whilst eating, they played who can it the noodles fast enough, who could finish the fish cakes—just like a family. At some point, Suzaku took the dishes that they used and washed them again. Naruto sat on the dining chair and waited for her to finish, eager to ask her some questions. But just as she finished the dishes, she sat on the chair and looked around the apartment. Naruto could only blush.

"How do you earn this place?" she suddenly asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes sadly, "I get money."

"Oh? How?"

"Sometimes I get them on the table—I don't know how it got there, I just found them _there_ every morning… Maybe it's from the Hokage, I'm not so sure."

"Ne, Naruto," she called to him with a grin. Naruto stared at her as she went on, "You and I are very similar with one another."

"What do you mean?"

"We're both orphans. We have no one to hang on to."

"I'm sure _you_ have someone_—_me? I have _no one_ at all!"

Suzaku felt that his words stung the core of her heart. To be in her shoes—knowing that she was the only family left for Naruto and yet not be there for him—was making her think that she was no worthy of his affection; she failed her promise to Kushina and Minato.

"But, then again!" the boy cheered up, "I wanna wait when I grew up and test your beliefs!"

She looked at him in awe, "What do you mean?"

"You said that once we turn a full-fledged ninja, we'll be a family to one another!"

"It's true! I bet when you've grown—when have your own team and sensei—I'm sure you know what I mean by that!"

"Yeah? Oh! By the way, thanks for the quote: _Underestimation is the root of all defeat!_"

"Oh," Suzaku slowed down, "You've learned to read it, I see."

"No_—_that boy, the smug one? What was _his_ name? Sashukei?"

Suzaku laughed at his attempt to get the name correctly, "It's Sasuke!"

"Right! Sasuke! He's the one who read it aloud to me! He said it was because he wanted to see it too so he might as well read it out loud!"

"Well, you see, all Uchihas are smug and irritating! I know the brother so I know how's Sasuke like!"

Naruto began chuckling in joy and it made Suzaku happy to see him that way. All those years she followed him, she had always seen him crying in loneliness_—_at least now, she got to make and see the boy laugh. While Suzaku wipe off the small tears from her eyes, Naruto silently noticed and smiled at her.

"You're the first person to cry about me!" Hearing so, she only cried even worst. Naruto panicked, "Eh, I don't mean to make you cry!"

"N-no! It's nothing!" she sobbed. "It's just that_—_I've just remembered my family from before!"

"You had them once, huh?"

"I did. I lost them 8 years ago_…_"

"I wish," the boy began rather steadily but there was a tinge of sadness in his aching voice as he went on, "I wish, even for a while, that I know how family feels like!"

Suzaku was stunned. Her visions began to blur even more; the tears from the past came overflowing. She remembered the incident when Kushina and Minato hugged on her bed when she could not accept the future of their deaths. They expected to be whole when Naruto were born but their deaths put that all aside. He was only a child; he did not grow the way he should have been.

"But_—_you know what! You're a ninja, aren't you? Then, you could still be my family_—_"

Suzaku came over his table, discarding the falling chair and quickly embraced him in her arms, "Naruto, I've always been your family! It doesn't matter what people say anymore_—_you and I_—_we're a family!"

Overwhelmed by her words, Naruto started to cry and hugged her back. Suzaku managed to say what was embedded in her heart for so many years and taking in every that had happened that day, she was overjoyed that Naruto actually accepted her. When she released him from the embrace, she kissed him on the forehead and stared deep into his blue eyes; he did take his father's look and his mother's speech.

"Thank you, Suzaku-san! I'll always remember you!"

She laughed at his statement, "Are you sure about that? You're still a kid, you know! You have a lot of things at hand and you'll forget about me!"

"I have this!" he smiled and clenched on the scroll she gave him.

Assured by that, she patted his head, "Just know that I'll always remember you! Don't forget about that!"

"Yeah, dattebayo!"

She was stunned at his words, "_Dattebayo?_"

"Oh—It's nothing, just something that comes out every time I talk! It's really natural for me—ttebayo."

"I know—" she quickly fought her tears from falling again, "I know someone who does the same and it was quiet infectious—ttebane!"

Naruto smiled and laughed, "Haha! You got them too!"

As they laughed _together_, a silent smile from afar appeared in the dark.

* * *

Suzaku left Naruto with a pleasing sensation in her heart. She knew then that the boy have much strength now and he will not give in for what was to come. She headed for her home, which was actually only a block away from Naruto's place. When she entered her home, it was dark; she left the lights turned off and headed straight to the kitchen. She could see Naruto happily hanged her scroll on the wall; it made her smile again. Then the boy switched off the lights before he went straight to his bed. She narrowed her eyes in remembrance of how easily he slept when he was a baby and it was still his trait even as he grew up.

Her light was suddenly switched on; the reflection on the mirror told her who it was—a very worried Itachi.

"I was wondering if you're actually in the dark just to test your Sharingan side-effects."

Itachi did not respond.

"What? Was that insult too great for you? Why can't you answer me now?" she simply went on snobbishly.

When she turned around, Itachi lowered his head and shadows fell into his face so dark. She startled seeing him that way.

"I'm sorry I've startled you," he commented, slowly rising his head. "I saw you followed Naruto home. I'm glad you've told him what you've been meaning to say."

"It was only right, is it not?"

He nodded, "Senpai, there's something I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"It's about the Uchiha Clan."

"Okay, what about them?"

"They're planing a coup d'état against Konoha."

Her grey eyes widened in shock, "W-what? How'd you know about this?"

"I was called to the Clan Meeting just now."

"But," she paused. In an instant, she sensed some presences watching them, "Why, of all places, did you take them here?"

"Because I need a distraction_—_"

His lips met with hers so quickly that she could not have recovered from it. Her heart began pulsating so fast that her lungs were not able go catch up, only making her breathless. The kiss was subtle and simple; after all, it was only a distraction for the clansmen who spied on him. She figured that the Uchihas would be off guard by watching them this way and so she pushed him away, wiping her lips with the edge of her sleeve. She looked at him_—_clearly offended beyond words.

"And I suppose that was enough _distraction?"_

She could see how his raven eyes staring through her and it only made her heart skipped a beat. When she turned away towards the windows, she could sense that there were no presences outside.

"I've never seen Senpai that way before."

Her grey eyes widened once more and her cheeks were furious with red; she could not face him that way, "What do you mean!"

"It's just that_…_ I didn't expect Senpai to react that way."

"How else should I react, Itachi? You've came over my house, told me about the Uchihas wanting to takeover and then you've simply kissed me because you _need _a distraction!"

"That's exactly the opposite reaction that I expected from you, Senpai. You would simply dismiss such things, no matter how feminine it is_—_unless you have labored some feelings for that person. I expected that you would simply dismissed my abruptness."

Suzaku faced him in silence. Her cheeks were red in embarrassment; it was the much more that she could expect from a kiss. As a steadfast kunoichi, getting kisses from other men should be expected as nothing, having known that it is their mission to lure men. But, Itachi was simply a sensitive subject and him kissing her was just as sensitive!

"I expected myself to dismiss your abruptness as well," she explained; again, turning away and leaned into the sink to wash her lips with water. Just as she stopped, she lowered her head, "How do you like it_—_knowing what I feel about you? I really didn't expect that it come out that way! I wanted it to stay inside_—_"

"Till when do you expect it to remain inside?"

He pulled her on the shoulder, making her turn away from the sink and made her gaze into his eyes while her cheeks blushed intensely. He gently caressed her long red hair, landing his head on hers and silently muttered words that only Suzaku could hear. But, her Third Eye made a quick blink and the jolt of chakra coming from her only jerked his hand away. His eyes creased in worry.

"I can't," she muttered, slightly crying and embracing herself in her own arms. "I can't have you, Itachi. What happened 8 years ago changed all this_…_"

"What do you mean?"

"Uchiha Madara_—_he was the one who assumed control of the Kyuubi and killed my only family! What was left for me is only _Naruto_! I vowed to kill an Uchiha, until then_…_ I can't have an Uchiha."

"You're an amazing woman, do you know that?" he smiled, "Sasuke looks up to you so greatly that I've got a strong belief that your thirst for revenge will be inherited by him, since you were the first face he saw when he was born into this world."

"It was by accident_—_"

"By fate_—_that's what it was!"

Suzaku shook her head, "Let's just get to the point_—_I was a distraction and they were distracted! Now, I think it's best that you leave!"

"You _still_ are my distraction. You've been so close to me and you had been a good friend. I was expecting you to_—_more importantly, if I tell the Sandaime about the Uchiha's plan, I know it will not end well for me and Sasuke_…_ Especially Sasuke."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Danzo has been keeping his eyes on me."

"That slimy old bastard?" she cringed at the name, "If he knows about it, he'll have them all killed!"

"But the Sandaime is a wise man; he will summon the Council and might peacefully tries to resolve this issue."

She shook her head sternly, "I doubt that he will be successful! Danzo will command you as the Root leader, not as one of Konoha's advisor!"

"Are you mad at me?"

Her eyebrows met; he changed the subject so quickly, "Why should I be?"

"I've known about your feelings for such a long time_…_ When I heard about it from the other ANBU members at the Summer Festival, I've told myself that it was not true. Senpai was never affectionate to me in that way and you seemed to have approved_—_"

"I had to approve. I've never wanted to tell you about it. I know I have nothing to give you and I expect nothing from you in return so I've left it aside."

"But that's not for you to decide. I am entitled to know about it."

She shook her head, clenching her teeth as she tried to avoid crying, "Please! You know about it already! We have to deal with Konoha's safety first!"

Shocked at her reaction, Itachi turned sad but he nodded his head. He frailly ran his fingers through the ends of her hair and smiled silently. He turned away from her, walking towards the door and was ready to leave; Suzaku, on the other hand, began sniffling.

"I_—_" Itachi stuttered as he looked at her again. She stopped her sobbing for now and looked up to him. He looked back into her eyes and weakly smiled, "I needed to confront you on your feelings because I think that I might not be in Konoha for long. I feel that it was only right that you know about me leaving Konoha_—_"

"Why are you leaving? I don't understand!"

"I love Konoha. I was born here, raised here, trained here_—_I've met you here as well. All the important things that had happened to me, happened here. I must ensure its safety, even if it means that I have eliminate to my clan."

"Itachi, what do you mean? It's not right! They're you're family! Will you actually _kill_ Sasuke? If not, what will this do him?"

"Maybe he'll avenge on them, like what you're trying to do. Maybe in that way, he will replenish the tarnished name of the Uchiha!"

She slapped him immediately at her quickest speed, "And you?"

She was crying again. She knew the day was tough with meeting Naruto, but then the night came and when Itachi revealed his intentions, it proved to be too much for her. In fact, she had her own intention that she had not revealed yet at the time; that was why she needed to confront Naruto for the last time. Her eyes were red with tears—she was generous about them today.

"I can't accept that you'll become a traitor! A traitor! Not only as an Uchiha, but also as a Konoha ninja!"

As she tried to slap him again, he caught her hand. His raven eyes glinted with a sorrowful glow and suddenly, he pulled her close in a tight embrace. Suzaku was trapped in his warmth and only ended up receiving him completely. He ended up staying that way for a few minutes, which felt like hours to them. He felt reluctant to leave her and more importantly, is he capable of killing Sasuke?

"I'm sorry," he muttered, "I guess, both of us will understand this somehow…"

Suzaku nodded her head and released herself from his embrace. She looked up him in a weak smile and managed to muster her courage to actually kiss him. They had a passionate moment as she did so and when she finished, he landed his forehead on hers. She mouthed something that he had been meaning to hear and cried once more; he responded by shaking his head and hugged her again. They spoke inaudibly as Itachi rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

As her crying slowed down, her glowing gray eyes looked up to him and she whispered, "I'm sorry as well… There's something I'm not telling you, but it can wait—tomorrow, you'll know about it!"

Itachi gazed at her intently for the last time before nodding his head. She opened the door and he walked out slowly as she watched. Her eyes slowly narrowed in sadness when he had faded into the darkness. Quickly, she then locked her door and leaned onto it; her eyes both pressed in concentration and the Third Eye opened wide; it was glowing purple.

"Madara got to Itachi too, huh? That's why he didn't give much comment on him when I said Madara's name… That Madara! I'll get to that bastard! Just you wait, Uchiha Madara!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Kehehe! That was a dramatic chapter! Lolz I was shopping groceries with my mom when I wrote this (in my Iphone notes)!_

_I didn't mean to make it an Itachi pairing, but it's just that Suzaku has a small crush on Itachi __and some of the ANBU members have said that to him (which be revealed later). Since she's a girl, I thought it was only nice if her feelings were revealed._

_Yes, yes, too many kisses_—_I agree! But hey! A girl can dream! haha_

_That's it for now! The next chapter will not be out till at least a few weeks! I have my HUGE exam soon (first thing is LAW) so I have to study! If I don't concentrate, I might not at all return to write! :(_

_Wish me luck, yeah? ;D_

**Updated 4/10/2010:**

_Edited. More romance added haha lolz _

_I cried when I remembered Itachi's death! :( He was one of my favorite character! He did not have die wasted! _

_That worthless Sasuke! I will GET HIM in this fanfic! xD _

_hehe sorry sasuke fans! ;)  
_


	6. Five: The Council's Decision!

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Five**

_**The Council's Decision!**_

She could not find her falling asleep that night. After what Itachi had revealed to her and what she had told him, her body refused to dream about it. Suzaku sat up on her bed most of the night; at some point, she would watch Naruto asleep from afar. She had Kushina and Minato's photo in her hand, of which she constantly clenched the frames, feeling incapable of accepting their deaths once more. _If only, _she thought to herself, _If only you'd have seen how Naruto is… I think you guys would be so proud of him—even if he's failing his classes all the time!_

She looked up to see the time and only looked away in vain. Her hand placed the photo back to where it was and she lied down on her bed again, staring blankly at the ceiling above her. She closed her eyes and her Third Eye was activated.

* * *

She was instantly teleported to a bright plane of emptiness. She looked down and there was nothing but whiteness. As she raised her two hands, stretching, she realized that she was floating. A strange frog is seen jumping from out of nowhere.

"You've summoned me, Suzaku?" it spoke, coming closer. It was a red-orange frog with amber eyes. He watched as she yawned childishly, "You didn't sleep, I see…"

"How can I? Itachi came to my house and told me he knew how I felt of him—"

"Ooh," the frog cooed in amusement, "And what did you do? Kiss him? Hehe!"

"I did, unfortunately!"

"What!"

"I was caught red handed, Gamakata! I see no reason of escaping it so… well, he kissed me first—"

"Wait! Who kissed who first?"

"He kissed me first—"

The frog leaped in joy, "Suzaku! That's a good sign of mutual attraction!"

She slapped him and watched him landed on the bare white floor. The frog rose up shakily and muttered words of disgust (about her being not womanly).

"You're not listening!"

The frog sighed and sat in front of her, waiting for her explanation. "So? Go on, then!"

"As I predicted, he told me about his Clan's coup d'état and then I sensed people watching us—his Clansmen, they were spying on him—I got angry, he told me that I was a distraction and kissed me."

"Oh," the frog realized it now, "Then it's _not _a good sign… I bet you didn't see that coming!"

Suzaku shot a glare at him, causing him to flinch.

"More importantly, he told me that he was confident that he will have to leave Konoha… and he spoke about eliminating his Clan."

"Just as you've predicted. Next would be Sasuke's thirst for vengeance."

Suzaku nodded reluctantly, "I'm worried, Gamakata! I looked up to the Uchihas and this is what they do?"

"You've only looked up to Mikoto—the rest of them are still Uchihas! They were cursed the moment they were born into this world—it's not something you could avoid or change, Suzaku!"

"How could they? So much for bloody lineage!"

"And Sasuke's thirst for vengeance will affect Naruto's path."

"I know," she bit her lip, "I can't stop this, can I?"

"No, you can't. If you want the Eye to mature, you have to step away and watch what it delivers to you. I'm sure once you've got through these minor stages, you'll get on to the major 3 stages!"

"Here I thought the Daisangan is _not _predominant!"

"I've thought the same way as well… But the Sharingan was inspired by it, I suppose. Hence, it has different stages just like the Daisangan."

Suzaku began walking around the white plane and the frog eagerly followed her.

"Did the Sandaime called for you?" the frog broke the silence.

She stopped walking and turned around; eyebrows creased and her head shook, "No, not yet! But whatever it is, I must leave before Itachi does!"

"Ugh," the frog groaned, "All this planning that we have to do!"

"_And… _I told you that I could summon you through the Third Eye!" she laughed.

"Don't ever do _this _again!" the frog pointed around, showing the bareness of the plane, "This is a scary place to meet!"

Suzaku laughed nervously, "I'm sorry! I needed to see you secretly—just in case someone watches!"

"You've gathered one too many enemies in Konoha, do you know that!"

"I know," she replied sternly but dismissed her serious and laughingly smiled, "So anyway, I'll meet the Hokage in the morning and hear his decision on my letter!"

"Okay! Then, you'll get back to me later! I need to talk to the Great Toad Sage as well!"

* * *

Suzaku's two gray eyes blinked. A ray of light gushed through her curtains and the birds were singing; it was already morning. She peeked at her bedside window to find Naruto eating his breakfast. She smiled and quickly rose up from the bed. After a long shower, she started packing her bags and fixed herself in an appropriate casual clothes to meet the Hokage as she told Gamakata. All the things were done in 15 minutes and she stood in the foyer, she realized that the room was even ready to be rented. She narrowed her eyes and caught the glimpse of Kushina's smile.

She left the bags to be taken later and locked her door. She took a stroll around the neighborhood, managed to spy on her god-brother again and had been avoiding Itachi. He was looking around for her; must have been after what she said last night. She managed to steer to clear of him and walked straight towards the Hokage office.

There were a few people walking in the hallway and they greeted her with a nod; she replied with another as she passed them. As she heard the Hokage talking in his office, she leaned on the wall facing the door and silently waited. The door opened to reveal a surprised Kakashi.

"Hey, Suzaku!" he called.

She raised her head and smiled, "Oh, it's just Kakashi-san!"

"How's our young buntaicho doing this morning?" Asuma asked, coming from the door behind Kakashi.

"I'm fine, Sarutobi-san, how are you two?"

"Never been better," they replied in unison. Asuma noticed her preparation by the way she dressed, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Some private matter," she grinned but the two jounins detected a suspicious motive.

"Oh well," Kakashi gestured a wave and walked away, "Take care, Suzaku!"

"Yeah, sure…" she muttered in reply and watched them leave. As she knocked on the office door, she peeked her head in, "Sandaime-sama?"

The Hokage turned around from the windows, "Oh, Suzaku…"

"Yeah," she replied, closing the door behind her. She walked up to him slowly but the tensed silence fell onto them. She knew she had no time and quickly broke the ice, "I think you know the reason why I'm here."

He nodded in acknowledge, "Yes. I've received it… It wasn't necessary for you to seal it that way, but—private matters, I suppose that's how you deal with such level of confidentiality."

"I'm sure it was an easy seal for you, sir."

"It was, but I felt that it was unnecessary nonetheless."

"Have you read the contents, sir?"

"Oh yes," he puffed the smoke out of his lungs, "A shocking revelation to me."

"How so?"

"When Kushina and Minato died, I expected that you would have enough strength to take care of the child… While everybody else had decided to abandoned him and discarded him as a human being, I thought you would have steadfastly believed in him. But you've left him as well."

"I-I've never left him, sir. The reason why that I did that is not because I did not believe in him—Naruto is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki and so was Kushina-san. I feared it not, Sandaime-sama and the only fear I had was his acceptance."

"How could he not have accepted you?" he commented with a serious tone; his eyes watching Konoha from his glass window, "That boy has no one else in this village! You were the only close thing that he has to a family! And you have enough courage to even write that letter!"

"It's the only way," she muttered, surprised at the Hokage's reaction, "that the future will continue as properly as it can while implanting virtues as it will."

"That Third Eye of yours could be a national treasure… Yet, you've refused to stay in the village which had been home to you for years."

"My Daisangan is still Konoha's treasure and I'm not refusing to stay in Konoha—I have to leave, in order to see Naruto grow up the way he should!"

The Hokage faced her this time and stared deep into her eyes in a serious manner, "How will Naruto grow?"

"As Jiraiya's student, just like his father."

"And what about you? What will you do?"

"As the letter states, I will be doing my _solitary training_," she explained, her head lowered as she tried to avoid seeing into his scolding eyes.

"And what does this _solitary training _will do?"

A puff of white smoke appeared in front of Suzaku, revealing the same red-orange frog, Gamakata.

"I would like to dully explain that, Sandaime-sama!"

The Hokage shook his head and sat on his chair. He gestured a plain wave, "Go on."

"This solitary training that Suzaku will go through is to achieve the 3 main stages of the Daisangan. The first stage, _Heiya Iki _or the Plain Stage, whereby the Daisangan enables the user to perceive chakra, sights of 360° degrees of vision—basically just like the Byakugan.

Then, during this stage, it also enables her to become clairvoyant—but, the future vision that she will observe is short and simple—not thorough. That's when she has to mature the first stage to the second one, the _Juubun Iki _or the Thorough Stage, where it's basically just like the Sharingan and Byakugan combined. But, the difference is, this stage of the Daisangan gives the wielder accurate Extra Sensory Perception and better visions. But the last stage—"

"I have a feeling I won't like the last stage," the Hokage interrupted.

Suzaku weakly smiled and nodded, "Yes. The last stage is the last option for the user… But this last stage is the same stage that has been prophesized as sacrificial—it is only available for use when the user is mortally wounded."

"These are dangerous things to achieve—tell me, how will train her in the third stage?"

Gamakata gulped, "We can't."

"The last stage," Suzaku took over and went on, "cannot be activated without the purpose of sacrifice… The previous user tried to reach the level only to have it for his own use and yes, he was successful in doing so—only for 5 minutes. He died soon afterwards, with the Eye dissipating itself and was never seen again—"

"Until you came along," the Hokage finished. He sighed as she nodded her head, "Either way, I have already made my decision, Suzaku."

Gamakata turned to Suzaku with an anxious expression. Suzaku looked at him with a ready nod.

"But, you find that I will have to announce my decision on your matter tonight—at the Council meeting, of which I want you to attend as my advisor."

Gamakata flinched of shock, "Is that really necessary, Sandaime-sama?"

"Gamakata, you've done a great job taking care of Suzaku so far… But don't worry, the Elders won't do anything that will change my decision."

Suzaku realized what he meant and nodded her head, "I see… Then, you can expect to see me there."

"Good, until then… I suggest you take one last look of Konoha."

* * *

Gamakata sat next to Suzaku as she ate her ice cream; they had the aerial view of Konoha staring back at them. With the Hokage stone faces were facing them, the Academy in good view from the cliff, the Konoha Military Police was just on their left and the people below the street, Suzaku felt that her current position is only emphasizing her dilemma for Konoha, Naruto and the Uchiha's fate.

"I know what you're thinking," Gamakata whined. "You can't make everyone happy, you know?"

"Not happy—at least, make them peaceful…"

"There is such thing as peace in this world, so long people lived to detect their differences and refuse to tolerate, forgive—one of many things that humans deny to accept."

"This world is deteriorating. I can't imagine how the world would be… if everyone is like the Uchihas."

"God, I'd die."

She finished her _red bean _ice cream, poking the soil with its stick and ended up breaking them. Gamakata watched as she hugged her legs and later, she changed position; she lied down on the soil with a leave straw in her mouth. The sun gleamed its powerful bright light upon her and closed her eyes, silently humming a tune. Awhile they sat there in silence, Gamakata sighed.

"He is still looking for you—Itachi, that is," he muttered.

She did not respond. She was munching on the straw.

"That poor boy is looking for answers."

"He will know soon."

"Won't you say goodbye to him?"

"He will come to me, when I leave Konoha… He will only follow, anyway."

"Shisui is beginning to get annoyed by him."

"Shisui can no longer be trusted. I hated that guy now, after what he's done! He and Itachi are alike—trying to beat me at everything I do since my first Academy day. I can't believe that Shisui is _so _into me that he is willing to defeat me. I was so good at _Shunshin no jutsu _(body flicker technique) and Shisui mastered it so well that his success foreshadowed mine. Then, I was an ANBU Captain at the age of 15 and Itachi is going to beat me soon!"

"Survival of the fittest, Suzaku—that's just life as a ninja."

She sighed deeply whilst nodding her head, "Tell me about it!"

"You're going to miss Konoha, aren't cha?"

"Oh, greatly," she muttered and her eyes opened as Gamakata placed a fan over her head. She took the fan and started fanning herself, "I will miss every grain of soil in Konoha, every smell of bread, ramen, teppanyaki, every life that makes it all worth it to live here—I'll remember them all and miss them."

As the silence fell between them, the sound of Naruto's cracking laughter startled her. She quickly rose up and looked over the cliff edge; a happy Naruto was seen chased by a group of boys.

"Isn't that Naruto?" Gamakata remarked.

She nodded her head in reply, "Yeah, it's him all right! And those boys—the Nara and Akimichi boy, the Inuzuka—even the Aburame!"

"He's made some friends."

"Good," she smiled, "At least, I know he's going to have some friends!"

"Isn't that yours?"

As her eyes scanned the crowd, she noticed a familiar ANBU member walking with some young men. She gawked at the person, dropping her straw.

"That's Sanae! What's she doing with those guys?"

Gamakata sighed, "She's a girl—what do you think she's doing?"

"She's not like that!" she knocked her fist on Gamakata's head, "Maybe she's on a mission!"

"So _don't_ go there and talk to her if she is!"

Suzaku shook her head and jumped of the cliff, "No! I have to ask her something!"

"W-wait! _Mattaku!" _

She left Gamakata screaming while landing on a concrete roof. She jumped over the road and slide down the rain drain; just in time to catch a startled Sanae. The ANBU member, who has long dark hair with purplish highlight and dark pair of brown eyes, smiled seeing Suzaku.

"Oh, _buntaicho!_ What are you here?"

Suzaku eyed on the boys quickly, realizing that they were foreigners and then pulled Sanae on the side of the road. "I need to ask you something!"

"Okay, sure," Sanae gestured the men to moved away from them as they needed to talk privately. When the men cleared, she turned to Suzaku, "What's wrong—"

Suzaku clenched on Sanae's collar, "Did you tell Itachi?"

"Tell Itachi?" Sanae blankly repeated.

"Did you tell him?"

"Oh!" the ANBU laughed. "Looks like Senpai does have a weakness!"

She grabbed Sanae by her throat and glared, "Does this feel like weakness to you?"

"Okay! I'll tell you who told him!" Sanae begged rather playfully. As Suzaku freed her, she laughed out loud, "Yes! I told him about your feelings!"

"Why did you have to?" Suzaku creased her eyebrows. She did not understand why her secret had to be let out.

"Because… Itachi noticed how you reacted when he introduced his lover. He thought he offended you!"

"What do you mean?"

"Who wouldn't think you were offended, anyway? It was a Summer Festival, Senpai! People expected other people to be happy and merry! We expected you to be that way! But look at what you did then!"

Suzaku bit her lip in silence.

"You barely looked at her in the eye—even if you did, you glared at her; it was a _clear _sign of disapproval! And whenever Itachi approached you, you'd turn away from him and ignored the subject of conversation! And not to mention, you were together with Shisui all of the sudden, it was like a—"

"I may not have liked the girl, but it doesn't mean that I've disapproved her!"

"But Itachi didn't expect you to react that way! So, when you left, he came to me and asked me if you were offended by him since he brought his girlfriend."

"And you said that I was?"

"No, I didn't pointed him to that immediately. I told him that you were upset about something that you had been hiding and he asked me about it so I simply said, _she's just pissed off that she can't have what she wants!" _

Suzaku gave a hit on her forehead with her palm, "So it _was _you!"

"Well," Sanae patted Suzaku on her shoulders and smiled, "I'm a girl, Senpai! I'd know when another girl is secretly hiding a feeling for someone! You tried to be with Shisui and try him out, hoping that he would make you forget Itachi but… Well, anyway, I know you tried your best to hide it but I suppose _she _insisted you to show your reaction!"

"You suck."

"Haha! Yeah right! Oh, I've got to go! See ya, _buntaicho!"_

Suzaku smiled and waved at Sanae as she grabbed one of the men's hand. At the same time, Gamakata landed on her left shoulder.

"It was her, huh?"

"Yeah… I should've known."

* * *

The night came as soon as the sun dived into the horizon. Suzaku and Gamakata were already at the meeting place; she received many glares from the Elders and not to mention, Danzo even bumped into her as he walked in. His face was filled with disgust as he glared at her. Suzaku could only ignore it and followed the Hokage. He ordered her to sit beside him, but she refused as she received another distasteful glare from Danzo. Homura and Koharu was slightly kind to her; they were there when she arrived in Konoha for the first time.

"I hope there's a good reason as to why you're here," Homura said to her.

She simply nodded her head and watched as the rest of those who were called for council entered the hall. The Sandaime nodded his head to them before sitting on his chair and thus, the meeting began.

"I trust that we've gathered some solid evidence that the Uchihas are against us, just like in the past?" he questioned the crowd.

One of them nodded and gestured at the guards; they went on and returned to brought in their insider, Uchiha Itachi. He walked towards the Sandaime and knelt down; his head was kept low. Meanwhile, Suzaku stood frozen as she remembered what happened last night. Danzo noticed this and pointed at her.

"What is _that _girl doing in this council? She is not qualified to provide any advise on our matter! Hiruzen, you'd better explain!"

The Sandaime sighed and pressed his temple, "Suzaku is here because I want her to be and I know that she will give us great beneficial advice if we are to listen."

Itachi flinched in the corner of her eye, not expecting that she would be there.

"Let's get on with it then," Horuma interrupted Danzo's glare on the young girl. "So, Itachi, what do you have to say?"

"The Uchihas are sure to carry out their plans. They've already starting to collect supplies for a complete takeover," he explained as he raised his head. At some point, he made a quick look at Suzaku.

They made a hesitant connection to a replay of what happened last night. But…

"There you have it! What else should we wait for?" Danzo insisted, "The Uchihas are already commencing their plan! We should do something about it!"

"What exactly do you plan to do?" the Sandaime shot a stern look at him. He then gestured Suzaku to come up front, "What do you think of this, Suzaku?"

She startled as he called for her and the tension rose as the others eyed on her. She looked down at first, where Gamakata whispered, _"Say what you need to say!" _

"I honestly think that," she paused as she raised her head. She was staring at every single one of them in the room as she continued, "We all know how this would end. It's either we are exterminated or the Uchiha are eliminated. To tell you the truth, there is no real solution to this issue—"

"Oh, don't talk all noble, girl!" Danzo stood up on his feet this time. "What do you know about decision making?"

"I know enough to know that there will be ugly consequences, Danzo-san," she countered him with a glare. "This is Konoha, we're talking about—one of the supreme powers in the ninja world! We have lives in our hands and it does not solve the issue if we only take another!"

"The girl has some point," Homura interjected Danzo. "Itachi, do you think your Clan can be negotiated?"

"No, sir," replied the boy without any hesitation. "I doubt that they can be, if at all, talked out of this."

Suzaku bit her lips and turned to the Sandaime. He looked at her and whispered, "Well, Suzaku, this is why I called for you… We need some fresh eyes, for the last time at least."

"I see," she nodded her head.

"Why is she here? I see no point to ask that girl to tag along with our meeting!" Danzo questioned once more.

Koharu turned to Suzaku, "This girl… is the same one that was sent by the Uzumakis when she was 8, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Homura replied.

Danzo was startled, "Uzumaki? You're saying that this girl is one of them?"

"One of the few remains," Suzaku stressed, "We are dying each day only for our fūinjutsu and I am one of the few who managed to lived. I must say, Konoha is the one who saved me from destruction and I found a new life here."

Itachi stared at her intently; he only realized that she was not a Kaekano then.

"And still, your reason being here is what?" Danzo went on.

The Sandaime sighed, "I guess you're all too anxious…"

They fell silent as the Hokage stood up from his chair and patted Suzaku on the shoulder, "As much sadness as it brings me to announce this, Uzumaki Suzaku or also known as Kaekano Suzaku, our ANBU captain for years and one of our effective ninjas, have requested to be removed as a Konoha shinobi and citizen."

"What?" Koharu startled in awe. "Child, are you sure of what you're asking?"

Suzaku narrowed her eyes and smiled at everyone (but in particular, it was directly to Itachi), "Yes. I may miss a few things, but I'm very sure of my decision!"

"An impudent decision—that's what it is!" Danzo laughed.

Homura gave another glare at the maniac before turning to Suzaku, "You're a talented kunoichi and coming from the Uzumakis, you're the only one of your Clan!"

"That's not true! Actually, Uzumaki Naruto is still one of my Clan, despite the fact that he is the jinchuuriki. Your refusal to include him is forgiven—I know how you feel about him and the Kyuubi."

The Sandaime nodded his head, "Suzaku, you'll have to go on your own journey in order to assure a bright future for Konoha, huh?"

"Yes, I'm going to make sure that it doesn't get darkened! I've inherited the will of fire nevertheless!" she smiled.

"Great!" Danzo intervened again, "I suggest that, since we have all heard this _special _announcement, you can leave now."

Suzaku nodded her head and turned away from the Sandaime. She caught a look of surprise on Itachi's face but ignored it. She placed a scroll on the table, which was all the things that she received from the Konoha government (her headband, her ANBU uniforms and such) and nodded at the Konoha Elders before she simply left using _Shunshin no jutsu._

_

* * *

_"Suzaku!"

Gamakata patted on her shoulder, _"He's here!"_

Her frog friend jumped off her and stayed on the ground, watching.

"I know," she sighed and slowly turned around, "So, what was the decision?"

He did not answer. His breathing was tense and fast; his eyes emptied with disappointment and silent sadness.

"You're leaving for real…"

She nodded, "I have to."

"That's why you went to see Naruto."

"Yes, that's why."

"How could you—"

She nervously giggled, "I'm sorry! I tried to tell you yesterday but I couldn't! When you were looking for me today, I wasn't sure if I was ready to say goodbye at all! So—"

"You're just going to leave with saying goodbye? I thought you said—"

"I don't know why I said it. More importantly, when you kill your Clan, make sure—just make sure—that you won't lose yourself completely," she turned around and began to slowly walk away.

But he caught her in an embrace and whispered, "You leaving Konoha—do as much good as me losing myself!"

"You don't know what you're saying," was her aloof reply.

"How could you, Suzaku? After what you said, don't you have any fear of what I might do at all?"

"What will you do, Itachi? At this rate, I see that you'll only ending up as a traitor… My leaving Konoha may not have as much impact as when you will but, I'm trying my best not to let anyone remember you that way."

"_Idiot," _he muttered, his hands shaky.

She nodded her head and clenched her hands on his, "I know!"

"Will we see each other again?"

Her shoulders shrugged and her tears fell onto the concrete floor, "I don't know!"

"Will you see me again?"

She nodded, "I'd love to!"

"Then," he turned her around and kissed her on her forehead, "I can only hope that we will…"

His hands slowly slipped away from her and he turned around in a jolt, running back home. She watched sadly he disappeared into the darkness and turned the other way, walking out of Konoha as a stranger.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_I must like to type in a rush hehe! lolz I wanted to get over Suzaku's story and pass it to Naruto!_

_So after my exams, I will continue this! ;)_

**Update (.2010)**_:_

_I've detected some flaws and fixed it! For the better, I hope! xD__  
_


	7. Six: The Scroll

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Six**

_**The Scroll**_

His head began pounding with what appeared to be a plain migraine, but it was not just _any_ migraine. His ears were affected as well; a stinging sensation just began hitting his eardrums deafeningly. Is this what he got for sitting at home in the dark, with an empty stomach and red eyes? He could not sleep after the news from yesterday. He was angry with Tsunade for letting his master on a dangerous recon, angry with the Akatsuki for killing his master, even angry with himself for having that Kyuubi in his body. This would have not occurred if he was never the nine-tail's vessel. That was enough to produce some tears again.

He did not care to look up at the clock and found out that it was noon. It had been more than 24 hours of complete isolation. He sat on his bed, staring emptily at the hot cup of ramen that he had prepared to eat. But he could not simply do that. He sniffed his tears back in, but it did not work well. He shakily wiped off the tears from his eyes. No, he wanted to remain that way forever.

A knock on his door startled him. He took the ramen and placed it into his bedside table before walking to the door rather slowly. He will not rush to the door; whoever that was coming to his place should know that it was simply not the right time. The door was knocked again. He finally opened it up.

"Yo, Naruto."

The depressed blonde lowered his head dejectedly, "Oh, it's just you, Shikamaru."

"Naruto, are you okay? You don't look so good!"

"N-no, I'm fine, _seriously_."

The door accidentally swung a little wider, exposing the dark and dirty apartment inside. Shikamaru's sharp eye did not miss that precious glimpse, making his eyes widened in sheer awe. He immediately pushed the door opened and entered the house. Naruto was not bothered by it though.

"Naruto!" his friend exclaimed, "What happened in this place? This looks like a _hell hole_!"

"Yeah? Well, maybe it is! I just _don't_ care!" the blonde lazily made his way towards the dining table and sat there silently.

His friend sighed and stood before him, "Naruto, you can't stay depressed forever. You're not the _only one_ who have lost his master… I've lost mine too."

"What did you came here for?" was Naruto cold response.

"I-I came here to," Shikamaru paused. He had never seen Naruto so dark before and with the way the shadows fall over his tanned skin, it spooked him beyond repair. "I came to ask you whether you've got any clue that we could use to break the code."

"What kind of clue?"

Shikamaru handed out a photo to him, "This code… Anything from or about Jiraiya that we could use to unlock this code. We need some kind of keyword, anything at all."

Naruto continuously stared at the photo of Fukasaku's back while his friend looked around. There was a picture of Team 7 on Naruto's chest of drawers and a small box of papers poking out from underneath his bed. Shikamaru bent down to get it and that was when he saw this glittery shine below the bed. He got down to his knees and looked properly beneath the bed. His eyes scanned the area and that was when he found a mysterious looking scroll.

He reached out for it and as he examined it, he blew the dust off from its ornamented body. Naruto saw this and widened his eyes.

"Holy shit!" the blonde gasped and took the scroll from Shikamaru's hands, "I honestly thought that I've lost it! Where the hell did you find it?"

"It was underneath your bed, Naruto."

"Oh my god! I thought I lost it!" the blonde quickly opened up the purple ribbon (which had golden trimmings) and pull out the scroll, "Underestimation is the root of all defeat!"

Shikamaru looked at him, puzzled and most of all, he was shocked. He lowered his head only to find that the writings were in calligraphic handwriting. "Since when did you know how to read calligraphy?"

"I didn't! But I've memorized it! This scroll helped me a lot!"

The genius Nara scoffed, "Who gave you this scroll?"

Naruto handed it back to Shikamaru, "That's the thing though! I don't remember!"

"Well," Shikamaru pulled off to the last bits of the paper; "There's an inscription where the writers will place their name or alias. It says here… _the red bird of the south_ and—That's weird."

"Wha-What's wrong?"

"There's a number between the letters!"

"A number? Where?"

Naruto studied the writing. Somehow, the lines looked strangely familiar. "Is it a number though?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it is… Look, below the number, there's kanji—it reads _bane_."

"Ugh, maybe it's _shichibane_? If you'd combine the number and the kanji after it, it'd turn out as _shichibane_, right?"

"But that doesn't _any _make sense… I've never seen this sort of writer before. You ought to remember to gave it to you," sighed Shikamaru and handed over the scroll back go Naruto. As Naruto rolled the scroll and tied it up, he patted Naruto's shoulder, "Oh! By the way, I want to show you something!"

They walked to the Konoha hospital and waited outside for someone. Naruto insisted that Shikamaru tell him who exactly they were waiting for. But his genius friend refused to spoil the surprise. Before long, Kurenai exited the hospital's main door, exhausted due to the scorching heat. Naruto gasped and his jaw dropped in a comic fashion.

He pointed at her in extreme and exaggerated surprise, "Oh my god, Kurenai-sensei! You got fat! Look at that! You ate too much yakiniku, is it!"

"It's not because of yakiniku, Naruto," Shikamaru sweat dropped annoyingly, "It's a baby. Kurenai-sensei is pregnant."

Naruto's childish reaction wore off. The serious stunned face he had was welcomed by Kurenai's smile. She walked towards them slowly, her hand gently held up her bulging stomach.

"Shikamaru, you're here again. Didn't I tell you to stop visiting me like this?" she giggled, "You'd be the first to know if it's due."

"Well, I can't help it. The child is my responsibility now."

Naruto stood in between them and as they conversed, he suddenly skipped a heartbeat. Before long, Kurenai was already waving goodbye at the young ninjas. Naruto did not realize that it took him that long to reminisce about his late sensei. When Shikamaru turned to him, it was clear and definitive what his friend was trying to do.

"Naruto," Nara began, "That child is going to be my apprentice, just like how I was before. He's going to be my responsibility, since what happened to Asuma—I'm entrusted with taking care of the child. And I heard about what happened to Jiraiya. Like I said before, you're not the only one who have lost a master but whatever it is, you can't be all gloomy about it _all _the time… You've got to move forward—I'm moving forward with it."

Naruto bit his lip and lowered his head. He did not want to move on. He was stubborn.

"After all, you've got no right to do what you're doing now."

The blonde flinched, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, come on, when we lost someone we love, when we lost our masters, we still have them within us and all that we have known about them are now apart of us. With the lost of our masters, we've inherited all things new and we've gotta keep it going. Don't you think now is our time to become the one who entrust, not the entrusted?"

Naruto looked surprised at Shikamaru. Something eager made him feel better now.

"Anyway, we're growing up to be just like the masters behind us… We're not kids anymore. It's our turn to give back now. It's our turn to be called _sensei._ So don't just stand there and solve this code!"

The blonde had a different look in his eyes as he raised his head with a smile. The two quickly headed back to Naruto's apartment. The once gloomy Naruto quickly pushed the curtain away and welcomed the bright sunshine into his studio. Naruto insisted to take a shower so Shikamaru waited by the dining table. As he stood waiting, he took notice of the same scroll from earlier and rolled it open.

"Good writing," he commented to himself, examining the calligraphy from one line to another, "_Excellent_, actually. The way it is written is perfect. It reflects the thoughts of the maker on the quote itself! Although it's just _gyosho_, it's done so professionally well!"

He pulled out the scroll to its very end, "_Minami no shutori…_ _Shu_, scarlet, red, bloody. The _red bird of the south? _It's not a phoenix, is it?"

"What phoenix?" Naruto's head popped out of nowhere.

Shikamaru startled, "Oh, you're already done."

"You're checkin' out the scroll, huh?" said Naruto as he eyed on Shikamaru's hands.

"Y-yeah," his friend rolled it close, "Sorry about that! You don't like me in your things, do you?"

"It's okay. I was thinking maybe you can help me find out who wrote it…"

Shikamaru was busy tying the scroll shut as clenched it with great curiosity, "I'm happy to tell you that this is a treasure."

"Why do you say that?"

"Whoever wrote it really knows how to do it in the best way possible. The lines are subtly perfect and the depth of the ink tells you just how much the person cares about the perfect lines as much as they care for the quote itself!"

"Sadly, whoever that person is, I've completely forgotten about them!"

"Don't take it that way," Shikamaru laughed, "You'd probably need some time before it comes back to you. You probably had it since you're a kid so—"

"Whoa! Wait a minute!"

Shikamaru gulped at the pitch of the blonde's terrible voice. Naruto rushed to him and grabbed the scroll, rolling in open with such hurry that it immediately opened up to the inscription. The blonde leaned closely into the surface of the scroll, almost like he was kissing it, and his blue eyes attempt to magnify the writing.

"No doubt about it!" Naruto muttered, "The weird inscription earlier is actually _tebane!"_

"What's that?"

"It's kind of like _dattebayo, _except it's _dattebane._"

"You wrote this?" the genius surmised in utter awe.

Naruto shook his head, frustrated, "N-no! It's someone I know! But who exactly—I just don't know that yet! I remember that this person welcomed my _dattebayo _very well and so, since that day… I've kept using it."

"Pfft, anyway," Shikamaru shook his head as well, finding that the topics kept shifting back and forth. He rolled the scroll close again before leaving it on the table, "Come on, we got to go to the Cryptology Squad and have that code solved!"

He then walked out of Naruto's apartment without turning around because he expected Naruto to be right behind him. But, the blonde was actually left behind by a few steps. Naruto hesitantly gave one last look at that scroll. He did not want to lose it again. He found the scroll communicating to him in some way. He simply picked it up and stashed it into his back pouch after his long, intent stare.

After that, he locked his apartment and rushed out to Shikamaru. He felt _completed _somehow, knowing that the scroll was with him.

* * *

Shikamaru and Shiho, the girl from the Cryptology Squad stood in front of Naruto as they anticipated his silence. The blonde had been without words since he arrived at the squad's headquarters and had been gazing into the photo with the code. Shiho had mixed feelings about the blonde, thinking that the blonde was somewhat a familiar looking boy. She had the assumption that the Fourth Hokage must have somehow looked like Naruto, because of their similar spiky blonde hair.

Shikamaru, on the hand, simply hated the _silent treatment._

"Come on, Naruto! You've been quiet for too long! Have you figured it out?"

Naruto did not give a reply.

"I've asked all the people that knew Jiraiya—the Fifth and Kakashi, but none of them can figure what it could be! It's only up to you now—no, it has to be you!"

Shiho nodded her head, "If there's anything at all that caught your eye, please tell us immediately. We're not hoping that you decrypt the whole thing!"

"Well, you see," Naruto struggled to speak his thoughts. With his eyes perched into a frown just like a fox, he continued his difficult thought, "Something has been bugging me since we left my apartment… I've been wondering why there's only one _katakana_ in this sequence of numbers!"

"A katakana? Where?" the two others gasped.

Naruto pointed it to Shikamaru, who also realized the revelation was correct. The number nine was, in fact, the katakana for _ta_. Then, a deluge of confusion and bewilderment came over the genius. He slowly began to think that the scroll has a connection to Jiraiya as well, since the person who wrote it has a familiar way of writing katakana the way Jiraiya does. As Shiho explained the _technique_ that Jiraiya have, Shikamaru cut her off.

"Naruto, don't you see it?" he paused to see the blonde's reaction. Naruto was blur about it. Frustrated by his friend's incapability, Shikamaru bit his lip and pointed to the photo, "It's the same! The shichibane!"

The scroll immediately sprung out of his mind. "Yeah, I figured this code thanks to that!"

"N-no!" Shikamaru hit his forehead in disbelief, "I can't believe you're this blur… I think I know who gave you that scroll."

"Really? Who?"

"I'm not sure who it is, but I can tell you that the person must have known Jiraiya close enough to imitate his style of writing!"

Then, it finally dawned on the blonde ninja. He stared back at the code. He took out the scroll and looked back at the inscription. Shikamaru got it spot on. They were definitely the same style and Shiho verified this as well.

"But that's only one clue," Shikamaru sighed, "I still don't understand the whole _red bird _thing."

Shiho shoved her glasses inward, "Can I have a look at it? You might need some fresh eyes to help you."

"Yeah. Sure, go ahead."

"_Minami no shutori?" _she exclaimed after a brief reading. She knew exactly what the inscription meant, "The red bird of the south! I know what that is!"

Naruto shrugged, "Oh yeah? So what is it?"

"It's the guardian of the four directions! North is Genbu the tortoise, East is Seiryuu the dragon, West is Byakko the white tiger and then, South—Suzaku the red bird!"

"Suzaku, that's it!" Shikamaru exclaimed after her. "That must be—"

Naruto stood with his eyes widened in shock. It was almost as though he was in a sort of trauma over the matter. Shikamaru tried to get to him, but he was lost in his own thoughts. He felt so connected to the scroll now more than ever before. He was close to finding out the truth behind that person. He finally knew who gave him that scroll. He finally got a name. He finally…

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Hey! I finally got over the exams! I'm so happy! :D_

_I will be editing this before I add another chapter! Hope you enjoyed the suspense! ;)_

_Btw, the quote "I can't believe you're this blur" is actually my favorite quote! I always said it to my mom! xD  
_


	8. Seven: The Red Bird

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Seven**

_**The Red Bird**_

Shikamaru eyed on Naruto silently. He knew that the code would have great chance of being solved if Naruto had a little hint about it and he was right. And of course, thanks to the professionally written scroll as well; an otherwise typically blur person like Naruto would not have simply recognized such clue. Nara could not have been any more proud than this. But, on the other hand, he was worried about Naruto. The blonde ninja stood there with his shaky hands, overwhelmed by the discovery so much so that his body excitedly shook. Shikamaru gulped, hoping that his worry could be swallowed. Yet as Naruto remained silent and immensely overwhelmed, his worry did not leave him.

"N-Naruto," he finally whispered, "Are you alright, man?"

The blonde startled and gave a weak chuckle, "How can I not be? For years I've been trying to find out who it was and now I finally know."

"I don't want to burst your bubble," intervened Shiho, "but Suzaku is only a clue to the person's identity. Artists use this sort of clues to remain anonymous. So if you want to know the person's identity, then you'll have to find the significance of Suzaku."

"Suzaku, huh?" Naruto lowered his head in thinking.

At the same time, Shikamaru looked at the photo of Fukusaku's back and sighed, "More importantly, we've figured out that the number 9 is in fact a kanji. The next thing we need is an example of his writing works—like a novel or something. I heard he has written some before he died."

"You mean this?" a different voice joined the conversation.

Shikamaru looked up from where the voice came from and it did not surprise him to see Kakashi, holding the latest _Icha Icha Paradise_ in his hand. A tint of smirk puckered up his lips as Kakashi walked towards the table. The Konoha genius turned to Shiho, who nodded and blushed repeatedly. She shoved her glasses upwards once more before she gulped her embarrassment away and took the photo off Shikamaru's hand.

"Let's see," Shiho grumbled into a slur. She examined the photo and looked up to Kakashi, "First, we must cross reference the numbers to the items on the book like pages or lines on that pages and even going down to the number of words in that line."

Shikamaru nodded his head, pointing down the numbers, "Alright, Kakashi. I'll say the numbers and you'll tell us the page. Then you'll read to us the lines of that number. For example, 4th page, 4th line, 4th word."

"Okay. I got it. Anything I could do to help," replied Kakashi.

As Shikamaru was about to begin, he caught Naruto still examining the dusty scroll that he found and saw the blonde staring at it with such concentration.

"Naruto," he called and the blonde looked up. He gave out his typical sigh and advised his whimsical friend to, "walk around and get some fresh air. We've probably got you thinking too much. But, if you want to find out more about Suzaku the redbird, then I suggest you hit the library."

"T-the library? You do know I'm not a library person. I can hardly keep a book in my hand for more than a minute!"

"But you've had that scroll in your hands for long enough. That's something for someone like you."

Naruto gave a second thought. He knew that the name was important for him and he must uncover the reason why. He flipped the scroll close and silently nodded his head; he must head to the library to find out more. The person behind the alias, Suzaku, was someone who gave him strength and helped him through all his life. He must know who she is.

He tightened his hitai ate whilst nodding to Shikamaru, "If I have to go the library to find out who is behind this name, I'm going to go there."

"Great," Shikamaru smiled, not noticing the blushing Shiho behind him. "I'll catch up with you later when I've got new things to update!"

Naruto walked off and raised his hand in the air: a sign of acknowledgement. His friend could only smile at the renewed Naruto and quickly continue his work with Shiho.

"Right. Let's get down to business."

* * *

The air outside was less intensified. Naruto never felt _this_ relieved before and even though he had just mourned the life of a great teacher, the discovery of this _Suzaku_ just made him feel regenerated. The sudden shift of negative attention to positive made it worth while to be happy again. While walking around the square, he came into thinking about the person who gave him the scroll. He somehow remembered a person with red hair. Why? That is something more than just puzzling as he paused in his stance. But at least, pieces of his memories that he thought were lost had finally gather together slowly.

"A mysterious woman with long red hair, a bowl of ramen and... Ramen?" he blinked his dazed blue eyes. "That's it! Maybe I could remember with a bowl of ramen!"

He quickly made his way towards the Ramen Shop and greeted the old man Teuchi, who had been the owner of the shop for years. He waited and waited patiently for his ramen but, before long, the smell of fresh soup brought new things to mind. There was something about the smell, which reminded him of a brief but warm embrace of a person who was once so important to him; possibly the same person who gave him the scroll. He closed his eyes, remembering that smell of ramen and the smell of floral shampoo, not forgetting the intense warmth and safety of another's arms that embraced him in happiness…

_"Naruto, I've always been your family! It doesn't matter what people say anymore—you and I—we're a family!"_

Instantly, he drifted to a trance where his memories were quickly cultivated and became as fresh as spring. Now, he finally remembered who it was and how the person looked like.

"Red hair with gray eyes," he muttered under his breath, "Friendly dinner together, an ANBU buntaicho…"

While he went on muttering things that he remembered, the old man in front of him could not help but listen. He too remembered someone with such description.

"Oh, I haven't seen that person in years!"

Naruto quickly came back to earth; "Wha-what?"

"That red-haired ANBU buntaicho… I haven't seen her in years," Teuchi explained, "Besides you, she had always come over here fer some ramen! That girl was once a success! But, after she _abdicated_ herself, we weren't allowed to speak of her again. Then again, what's the use? Immediately after she left, Uchiha Itachi massacred his family in one night—can't beat a reputation as that."

Naruto reached out for the high shelf and took the bowl of ramen into his hand, "Ne, Oji-chan, d-do you remember her name?"

"Oh, her name's easy to remember. Her name was Kaekano Suzaku."

"Kae-ka-no Su-za-ku?"

Teuchi nodded his head, "Yup, that's her! But why are you looking for such person? For all you know, she might be dead!"

"That's because," poor Naruto lowered his head in sadness. The brief reflection of himself in the ramen gave him even more thoughts to cover; "She was… she was very important to me. Probably the only family I have."

"Oh, she's a good one, isn't she? I remember how she was a young buntaicho. Heh, she was a good captain—always treat her team for some food after their mission and although she's always so cool and quiet, she somehow had this invisible humor to make sure that her team is always having fun. She used to say that, _once you're a full-fledge shinobi—"_

"_We are all a family to each other_, I know," Naruto weakly laughed. The blonde felt depressed again, thinking the inevitable fact that such person maybe dead. Then again, Jiraiya's death also inevitable and just as undesired as this Suzaku's; "I just want to meet her for the last time… to thank her, at least."

"I'd second that," laughed the old man before attending to another customer.

Naruto slurp his noodles into his empty stomach. His blue eyes intent yet unsure, he tried to figure out who in Konoha would know her. While his taste buds were enjoying the ramen, his mind was busy thinking; Tsunade should know.

"Ne, Oji-chan," he called on, "Shouldn't the Godaime Hokage know Suzaku or maybe a clue of her whereabouts?"

The old man shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I wouldn't know about it, kiddo. Since Suzaku was no longer our citizen, I doubt that anyone here wishes to know more."

"Why is she no longer a citizen of Konoha?"

"She abdicated herself."

"Well, I dunno _what_ that word means."

"Mattaku," sighed the old man, "She _dropped_ her title as a Konoha citizen and all her achievements as an established shinobi."

"Why would she do such thing!"

"I dunno about that though. Some say she went rogue to train harder, there are also people who believed that she went off with that Itachi—"

"Why would they come up with such thought?"

"Because… Itachi and his best friend—I forgot the name of that kid—were both under her wings."

"You mean to say that she was like, their sensei or something like that?"

The old man nodded his head, "That's right. Many reckoned that the three of them were pretty close to each other; that's because after Suzaku graduated from the Academy at the age of 6, then the two soon followed, graduating at the ripe age of 7. It was as if they were competing against each other—no, more like they were trying to catch up with Suzaku's level."

"Catching up?"

"Yeah, as if they were trying to make sure that they were at par with Suzaku. I suppose that it only made her a healthy competition, since they broke all the records that she did."

Naruto gasped, amazed at the details, "Still, that doesn't explain why there is a need to _abdicate _herself."

"Yeah," the old man agreed as he took Naruto's empty bowl, "I guess you're right on that one."

"So you think I could ask the Godaime about this?"

"You could try. But you might end up getting scold! When people are told to forget and not to mention another person's history, they just forget."

Naruto stood up with confidence once again, "I could still try!"

He placed his money on the counter and left without the change. This does not normally happen for someone like him. The blonde ninja sped off through the streets of Konoha, heading towards the Hokage's office. He somehow strongly believed that the Godaime Hokage would know who or where Suzaku is. At the same time, he felt that he must be scolded for asking such thing. After all, this Suzaku abdicated herself; she must certainly lost respect from people. As the office grew closer, Naruto's speed increased. He crashed into many while getting up the stairway and pass the lewd hallway, causing a havoc that could be heard from the Hokage's room. The door banged open with a panting and tired Naruto standing in the midst. He was busy looking down and breathing heavily.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade, her brown eyes wide opened and nostrils flared angrily, "What are you doing!"

The blonde ninja responded by looking up to her; Sakura and Shizune were both present. Naruto showed them his palm, trying to signal them to wait. As he calm down his body and cool off the sweats, he slowly began speaking,

"I've got something to ask you!"

Sakura quickly intervened him, "Well, whatever it is that's so important that you rush here?"

"It's about someone who gave me this," he took out the scroll and let it openly hang in right hand. His blue eyes observed the reaction of the Hokage in front of him; "Underestimation is the root of all defeat!"

Tsunade's eyes widened all right, but so were Sakura's. His teammate pointed, "Naruto, you could read that!"

"No, I've memorized this since the day I've had it," replied Naruto sternly. He turned back to Tsunade, "So, do you know who made this?"

The Hokage gulped and sighed afterwards, "Don't be foolish, Naruto. By just looking at the inscription, you'd certainly—"

"Minami no Shutori! What do you know about that?"

Again, the Hokage was speechless. And Sakura intervened him again,

"The red bird of the south? Isn't that one of the ancient constellation? The red bird guards the south, if I'm not mistaken."

"Tell me what I need to know, Tsunade-oba-chan! I really need this!" urged the blonde ninja with his eyes piercing.

Sakura turned to her mentor, "I wonder what's going on with Naruto. What do you think?"

Tsunade eyed on Shizune before she gave out another one of her long sigh, "Naruto, I hope you're ready for this."

"Yes," he nodded in return, "I'm up for it."

"As you probably already know, the constellation that guards the South is the red bird, Suzaku. There was such person named Suzaku. She abdicated herself 10 years ago; some say for training and some even say that she joined forces with Itachi and the Akatsuki. This much I can tell you," finished Tsunade.

"That's only what I already know!" shouted Naruto, shaking his head and clenching even harder on the scroll, "This person has the same writing style with Jiraiya! So whoever she is, she knows who he is and she probably doesn't know that he has died! I want to find her and be the one who brings her this news!"

"It's no use," the Hokage quickly quipped, "She has gone rogue. No one knows where she is nor is anyone wants to know where she is. What you're asking for is impossible."

"I don't care. As far as I'm concerned and after what happened yesterday, I pretty much think that anything is possible."

Tsunade silently reconciled with herself. She caught Shizune's panic face and she realized that she could not escape this. "Fine, I'll let you find this person. But first, you must find a probable location. I'll give a clue; you can find all you need in the library and you'll need a map of Konoha. Suzaku was an intelligent kunoichi; she likes to make puzzles."

"I get it," he nodded his head intently; this was a new mission. He turned around and quickly walked outside.

Tsunade then turned to Sakura, "Sakura, I need you to follow and keep an eye on Naruto."

"Y-yes," and seeing that Naruto was already leaving the building, Sakura ran off. She obviously could not say no to her master and was not even able to argue about it.

When Sakura walked out to catch up with Naruto, the door of the office was finally closed and it relieved the Hokage.

"I'm supposing that Suzaku must've met Naruto sometime before she left Konoha for good," she shared her thoughts with Shizune.

"More importantly, it is okay to let him do this? What if he truly finds out about who she really is?"

"I think that Suzaku did this intentionally. She must want him to find out after he has grown. For now, we can only hope that my assumption is right, that the inscription may have a clue as to where she is. Someone like her is valuable for Konoha. It's time for her to _come home."_

* * *

**Author's note:**

_Hey guys! ;) _

_Yes, I'm back. I apologize that it took me so long to update this story. I was needing time to study for my real exam and the vacation afterwards was spent in Switzerland... Yes, I was distracted, I admit! :P_

_Anyways, I had been down with some flu and cough for 3 days when I finally got to write up this chapter. I've got the plotline in mind so I know what else will follow. haha_

_Okay, so here is Naruto, slowly remembering things about Suzaku from the past... Next is where he finds out a "probable location" (I didn't know how else to put it) and ventures out to find her. Will she remember him in return? What if she's dead? _

_Yes. And the plot thickens..._

_PS: Why am I always on a rush when I post this? Doesn't make sense... Will edit further. ;) _


	9. Eight: The South Part One

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Eight**

_**The South (Part One)**_

Amazingly, even with her brute strength, Sakura could not catch up with Naruto. Though he was only walking, his speed was increasing rapidly every second they got closer to the library. She silently wondered if there was something _mysterious_ that propelled Naruto. But before much thought, she knew that he had always been a surprising character. Then she began thinking whether she knew anything about the scroll—maybe she may help solve this puzzled much earlier than expected.

"More importantly," she muttered under her weaving breath, "Why does this Suzaku person sound so damn familiar?"

Her jade eyes looked up only to see Naruto stopped walking. Seeing this, she quickly caught up to him and decided to stand close to him, making sure that she would not lose sight of him as ordered. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to have heard what she said earlier.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Sakura could not believe that he heard her. But she quickly recovered, "Ne, I just feel like I've met someone like that before."

"You have? When!"

"C-calm down, Naruto! I think I may have met someone like that during my Academy years! Somehow, that person managed to interest me in traditional studies—you know, studies on mythologies and ancient constellations—"

"That's it! Constellations! What can you tell me about them?"

Sakura pouted, "Hey! I'm pretty sure you must've met the same person!"

"What makes you say that?"

Her eyes turned wide opened. Wait a minute, where did everything she thought she knew go? Suddenly, she could not remember why she would come up with such idea.

"That's strange," she mumbled into thinking, "I feel... I feel as if we all have met her but my mind can't seem to narrow down how!"

"W-what? What do you mean?"

"There was an occasion where the whole class was visited—no, we had a special guest. I only remember that it was a calligraphy class. There was a game play and you've guessed the right kanji—"

"The kanji was _shinobi_," his blue eyes were wide open as he finished after her. It was coming back to him, how he got the scroll. "I guessed it right because I had been fooling around with stupid paint during those years... I particularly recognized it because I had always been punished to clean the paints away and I remember washing over the kanji _shinobi_. That was how I recognized it."

"And everyone was somewhat upset that you got a special treatment," she added on.

Naruto's ears peered forward, "What special treatment?"

"I'm not sure," Sakura retorted, she raised her chin with her fingers, "The person gave you some kind of a writing instrument... a brush? No, it was something decorative—"

Naruto took out the scroll once more and examined its ornamented body, "It was a quoted scroll."

Sakura looked down at the scroll as well. She took it from his hands and began running her fingers all over the engrossed gold design. Moments later, she opened the scroll and examined the writings inside. It suddenly became clearer.

"The Sandaime Hokage was an avid admirer of my calligraphy," Sakura quoted from a meeting in their classroom long time ago. As she studied the writings once again, she then realized its familiarity; "Of course!"

"What!" joined Naruto, puzzled and confused.

But Sakura only took his hand and ran towards the library; Naruto was so off guard he was literally dragged along.

They stormed through every hallway, every stairway and every door that came into their way, much like how Naruto did when he entered the Hokage's office. She then led him to a restricted basement area and briefly told the staffs there that she was allowed access by her master, whom they knew was a regular at this section. Upon entering deeper parts of the area, Naruto found a sitting room and hanging on the walls were calligraphy scrolls with the Hokage faces next to it.

"Sakura," Naruto gasped, looking left and right repeatedly; "What is this place? And why are we here?"

Sakura began pointing at the framed faces one by one, "These scrolls... They are all written by the same person!"

"How could you possibly know that by just looking at it?"

"The way the strokes of the brush are inked against the body of the scroll, in such a way that it makes the lines smooth. The lines are inked so fast that all the letters dry at the same time. Also, it's a _gyushu_ style; something rare in this village..."

"And _you_ know who wrote it?"

Sakura's jade eyes examined each of the scrolls once again. She suddenly pointed towards each of the scrolls' inscription, "There! Look at all the inscriptions! They are different from one another!"

"R-really?" was Naruto's blur reply.

"From the Shodai Hokage is the kanji _u_, the Nidaime is _mi_, the Sandaime is _re_' and the Yondaime is... _gakure_."

Naruto widened his eyes, "Is it what I think it is? Does it say _Umire-gakure?"_

"And there's something else on the Yondaime's scroll," she slurred as she kneeled on the ground.

Naruto followed her, "What does it say?"

"It looks as if it's been scraped off!"

"What!"

At the same time, the staffs from the restricted area had reported Sakura and Naruto's trespassing.

The Hokage and her assistant, Shizune, was quickly rushed down to the area. While seeing that it was an interesting commotion, Sai, who was also at the library and had seen his teammate rushing down the restricted basement area, decided to join the troupe. They banged the door open just as Sakura had finished examining the scraped kanji.

"Sakura! What are you doing?" Tsunade yelled madly, she had kicked the door open, "When I told you to keep an eye on Naruto, I didn't mean that you should be tagging along—"

Sakura turned around and simply said; "Find me at Umire-gakure!"

"What?" Tsunade gasped. She knew where it was; she and Sakura had been collecting some rare herbs there.

Naruto pointed at the scrolls behind them, "You knew who wrote all of this! But why are you hiding the truth from me?"

"The same person who gave Naruto the scroll," muttered Sakura as she explained, "was the same person who provided these scrolls. The Sandaime had been an avid admirer of her writings. You once told me that the person who wrote these scrolls was—"

"A patient of mine," Tsunade intervened. "She was patient of mine whom Jiraiya introduced to me; an in-law family of the Yondaime Hokage. She was sent to Konoha through a rendezvous route from Umire-gakure—it's only something the Sannin and Hokage would know. But I've told Sakura about this patient when we visited the area in Umire-gakure."

"S-Suzaku was your patient?" Naruto was puzzled.

Seeing that he was puzzled, Tsunade then continued; "Yes, it was Kaekano Suzaku who gave you that scroll. I knew her when she was an orphan, who then grew up as Jiraiya's student. She looked up to him as a father. Yes, this person knew Jiraiya very intimately that their handwritings became so similar. But perhaps this person has been gone for so long she doesn't know, let alone care to know, that her true friend and teacher is now dead."

Naruto bit his lip and his fists clenched tightly. That was not true! He remembered that it was Suzaku who had assured him that he had a family in her. She was simply not the type of person who forgets her family—never!

"That's not true!" he insisted; literally slamming his hand into his chest to prove his point, "I'm going to change all that! I'm going to go to Umire-gakure and tell Suzaku all about Jiraiya's death! I don't care if I have to address her grave, but I will tell her!"

Tsunade gulped nervously, "Then you are prepared to be disappointed? Because this person has disappointed Konoha once and I'm not surprised if she disappoints us again!"

"You can be assured that I won't disappoint you!" he retorted with assurance in his deep blue eyes.

"Very well," Tsunade nodded her head. She reached out her hand and Shizune quickly gave her a scroll. The scroll opened and revealed the map of the Fire Country. "We are here, this big red dot. Umire-gakure is about a day hike on these mountainous region here and after three days of walking South from this point onwards, you'll bump into a few sub villages that will lead you to Umire-gakure. If you can go alone—"

"May I go with Naruto, Tsunade-sama? I can help make sure that Naruto won't get lost, saves the trouble for a rescue team," Sakura smiled sheepishly.

Her master nodded in agreement, "Very well, but I would strongly recommend a 5-man team for you to go over there. The villagers do not like welcome ninjas and so if you come in great numbers, they will not resist."

"_Ja,_ our team can go," Sai butted in with an apathetic smile, "I'd like to go exploring."

"Good. You have 3 men now," Tsunade noted. She was about to turn around to leave when she remembered something; "Find your other two members and get back to me as soon as possible or you will lose this opportunity!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_It's amazing what people can innovate nowadays. I now finally have internet using this plug-and-play 4G modem. Oh my dear, I miss you internet! xD_

_Anyhow, I had this document in my computer for far too long and now I get to post it thanks to P1Max (that's the service provider)._

_Also, please enjoy this update. :) I had fun writing this. _

_Oh and this chapter eight has more than two parts lolz xD _

_Will upload it one at a time to build the suspense! :P_

_AND OH! Pardon me for any spelling mistakes. It was 12am when I posted this. Will edit! xD  
_


	10. Eight: The South Part Two

**Naruto Shippu! The Ultimate Union!**

**Chapter Eight**

_**The South (Part Two)**_

With that, the library staffs escorted Sakura and Naruto out of the chamber. Naruto was leading the team as they walked around town in search of members. The pink haired kunoichi was looking forward for this event, although she had to find two other members to join them in order to confirm the mission. Sai was rather confused and so she had to explain to him pretty much everything about the scroll and Suzaku.

"She was very good person," she finished slowly, recollecting that one visit Suzaku made to the Academy; "She told us a ninja is family to one another when we graduated and that we are willing to commit oursleves to do dangerous missions in order to protect our family. I'd love to meet her again!"

Sai drifted into his own imagination as he looked up the sky, "Hm, she seems like an interesting person. But she sure has a lot of gossip in her hand..."

"What do you mean," Naruto turned around this time, "by that?"

"When she abdicated herself, it caused a stir in everyone's mind. They were thinking that she must've conspired with Itachi because he soon left the village after her. But who really knows? She might as well be leaving for her own sincere reason and it was Itachi who chased after her, "Sai explained.

Naruto blushed suddenly. "W-why do you say that?"

"It's been thoroughly observed—their teacher-student relationship, I mean," Sai shrugged his shoulders with his monotonous giggle, "She was very close to everyone around her. She was reportedly very charismatic... always have fun with her ANBU team, always on time for work, always doing well on missions. The only problem was that the relationship between her and two Uchihas had caused some havoc."

"Really?" Sakura jumped in curiously as well, "What kind of havoc?"

Sai gulped nervously, "D-do you really need to know?"

"Well, clearly you know more than us because you're in ANBU. That means you've heard of her before!" Sakura concluded.

Naruto nodded his head after her, "Yeah! Tell us more!"

"Well," Sai nervously giggled this time, "It's _classified_ and you're on a need-to-know basis—you just don't need to know."

"Mou," his teammates pouted in unison.

"But I can tell you this: the Uchihas were quite close to her."

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened, "Now that you've mentioned it, I do remember Sasuke-kun acting all grumpy when she gave Naruto the scroll."

"Y-yeah," Naruto added. He went on musing briefly in the clouds, "I r-remember that it was him who read the scroll to me. I just memorized it ever since!"

Sai slightly lowered his head, "So it must be true! She must really be close with the Uchihas then."

* * *

Awhile Naruto and his team looked around, Tsunade and a worried Shizune was standing close to the open window of the Hokage office. Tsunade's hazel brown eyes were readily looking out for signs of trouble but her assistant cannot stop worrying about this new mission.

"I can't understand why you're worried," Tsunade voiced out in confusion; her eyebrows creased in worry as well, "Why? Do you think he'll find a grave instead?"

Shizune began sweating rapidly, in a comic fashion. "No, not really..."

"Then what? Why are you worried too much?"

"I'm just trying to expect what would happen if Suzaku were to return to Konoha. After all these years that she had missed out, I can't imagine what Konoha is like to her now."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that!" laughed Tsunade. "That Suzaku knew how Konoha would turn out, even after she left. I know she missed Konoha and the things that are part of it. She monitors it everyday, making sure that—"

"How could you say that? How could she have monitored Konoha from afar? She has been gone for so long!"

Tsunade sighed deeply, "Well, put it this way, I know more than you do."

"You mean, this has got something to do with her sickness? The one that you've failed to cure?"

"That's the problem," the Hokage giggle softly. "It was a sickness that need no curing, it was something more than that."

"And," cooed Shizune sheepishly, "And you won't even tell your closest adviser about it?"

Tsunade shook her head with a smile; "I think you deserve to wait out for the result."

"Mou! Tsunade-sama!"

The Hokage looked back at the very beautiful panoramic view of Konoha. She thought of what she said to Shizuna and realized that she must be right this time. She too had missed the young Suzaku and to think that she has now grown older made it all the more significantly exciting.

* * *

"Great!" A frustrated Naruto growled loudly with his hands on his waist. "This sucks! How are we going to go to Umire-gakure if we don't have enough people!"

Sakura sighed hearing him complain. She tried to think of some people who may help work it out, but they definitely cannot go with their sensei because the Jonin are busy. Sai had suggested to invite the other teams for this event.

"It will make it more exciting; the more the merrier, you see?"

Sakura's vein popped silently, "What, invite Ino to join us? No way in hell!"

"But we really have to go to Umire-gakure!" Naruto stressed. He was standing next to Sakura when he tousled his hair that ended making him look a mad dog. And he made this repetitive skips just like an angry child. "I can't accept or tolerate us not going!"

"Fine!" Sakura yelled and marched towards the flowers shop where Ino worked.

Naruto and Sai quickly followed, just in case.

She entered the shop and walked straight to the counter, behind it was Ino. Sakura slammed her hand on the table and sternly, "Yo, Ino! What have you been up to?"

"I do not like your tone. What brings you here, Haruno?" quipped her blonde nemesis. She then noticed Sai behind Sakura and her expressions changed; "Oh, Sai-kun! I didn't see you there! What are you doing here?"

Then it occurred to Sakura; a brilliant idea just befell upon her. She could invite Ino for the mission using Sai as the decoy while at the same time, plotting against Ino so that she could respect herself for a win-win situation. Maybe trying embarrassing Ino in front of Sai!

"Ino," Sakura suddenly called on rather softly, "I tell you what, we have this mission to carry on but unfortunately, we have too little manpower—"

"Oh you could count me in!" Ino squealed sheepishly.

Sakura smirked with her eyes glinted in scheming evil. Just when she wanted to explain more, Sai quickly interjected:

"Oh! I think I've got a brilliant idea!"

Naruto was somewhat happy when Ino had agreed to go. But as Sai told them that he had a great plan, he was beginning to think that there was more to this adventure than he previously thought. I mean, what could Sai be thinking of! Whatever it was, Sakura was not the only one scheming...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Yay, part two. I'm still in the course of finishing part three and four. :)  
_

_Also, I'm busy drawing and writing up my other fanfics... oh well.  
_


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